The White House on Wednesday overturned a Department of Homeland Security directive that had temporarily halted traffic stops by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, following two fatal shootings that occurred within a week.
The reversed DHS policy had ordered ICE agents to stop pulling drivers over on Tuesday, after the deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on July 7 and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine on Monday.
According to official accounts, both men were unarmed and were not the intended targets, and no body cameras recorded the encounters.
President Donald Trump reversed the directive via social media, without addressing the specific fatalities.
He stated, "we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I. C.
E.’ s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!
Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands."
The president emphasized his stance on immigration enforcement tools, asserting that restrictions would not be tolerated.
He attributed declining crime statistics to federal enforcement and repeated statements regarding border crossings during the previous administration, claiming "25,000,000 people" had crossed.
Trump urged immigration authorities to continue compiling enforcement data, saying "keep those Crime Stat Records coming."
He expressed support for officers involved in federal operations, stating they are "loved and respected in America."
He also criticized opposition party members, referring to them as "Radical Left Dumocrats."
He concluded by directing agents to remain focused on their duties: "I. C.
E. , be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job."
He reiterated his command to sustain current metrics: "Keep those Crime Stat Records coming!"
Homeland Security Secretary Aligns with Aggressive Enforcement
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued a statement aligning with the administration's approach.
"Our #1 goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals OFF our streets," he said.
Mullin declared that undocumented individuals would face immediate enforcement actions regardless of location: "Illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are."
He directly warned individuals without legal status to exit the country: "If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW."
The secretary noted the hazards of resisting federal agents, stating, "We remind illegal aliens attempting to evade arrest is dangerous."
Prior to the reversal, internal immigration officials offered conflicting descriptions of the traffic stop pause.
Fox News reported that the temporary halt included an exemption for "the most egregious criminal aliens."
Data shows that five of the eleven individuals killed by immigration agents during Trump’s second term were inside vehicles, contradicting routine agency explanations that vehicles were "weaponized."
Civil rights organizations condemned the fatal shootings. Lauren Bonds, Executive Director of the National Police Accountability Project, called the incidents "another extrajudicial public execution."
Angelica Salas of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights described the enforcement pattern as "state violence with the direct intent of terrorizing communities through fear, intimidation, and deadly violence."
