Key facts
- President Donald Trump ordered the resumption of ICE traffic stops.
- The suspension followed fatal shootings of two drivers during immigration enforcement.
- White House border czar Tom Homan had announced a temporary pause to review procedures.
- Trump expressed anger over the suspension, viewing it as weakening immigration enforcement.
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated the goal is to keep officers safe and deport undocumented immigrants.
President Donald Trump has directed federal immigration agents to resume traffic stops as an arrest tactic, reversing a temporary suspension that had been put in place following the fatal shootings of two drivers during immigration enforcement operations. The initial pause was announced by White House border czar Tom Homan to review procedures.
Sources indicated that Trump was furious over the suspension, fearing it would be perceived by his base as a weakening of immigration enforcement. He publicly ordered the reversal, stating on Truth Social that such a move would not happen on his watch. Prominent MAGA figures, including Steve Bannon and Mike Davis, had also criticized the suspension.
Senior Homeland Security officials had been assessing operational changes after the shootings in Houston and Maine, which involved the deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Durán Guerrero, respectively. Neither individual was the target of the operations. The pause, even if brief, was seen as removing a critical tool for ICE to meet its goal of 2,000 arrests per day.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that he and President Trump are aligned on the mission to deport undocumented immigrants and ensure officers have all available options for safety and enforcement.