President Donald Trump has reversed the suspension of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle stops, a decision that comes one day after the Department of Homeland Security sent new guidance to ICE officers. The reversal follows two deadly ICE shootings during attempted vehicle stops in Biddeford, Maine, and Houston, Texas.

Background

The Department of Homeland Security had initially suspended ICE vehicle stops after the two incidents, which are currently under investigation. However, President Trump announced the reversal on social media, praising ICE and urging officers to continue routine traffic stops.

According to Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, ICE traffic stops have become increasingly common as the president pressures the agency to increase arrests as part of his mass deportation campaign. Chishti noted that before 2022, traffic stops were rare, and most ICE enforcement arrests were done either in jails or at the border.

Response

Democrats argue that ICE needs sweeping reform and more training to prevent fatal shootings from happening in the future. Some have called for abolishing ICE altogether. Senator Angus King of Maine and Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, have also raised concerns about the decision to lift the pause on ICE vehicle stops.

DHS has announced that body cameras have been deployed to more than half of the field offices, with the remainder to receive them in the next 60 days. The agency is also instituting additional training for high-risk vehicle stops.

Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.