Trump says ICE can't give up traffic stops: 'Important and effective'
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President Trump on Wednesday said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should continue utilizing traffic stops, calling the tactic one of the agency’s “most important and effective” crime-fighting tools.
“The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, praising the agency’s efforts to enforce his robust deportation agenda and taking a swipe at the previous administration’s border policies.
“CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades,” he said, later adding that “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 Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job,” Trump said.
ICE earlier this week privately directed its officers to temporarily halt traffic stops in the wake of two deadly shootings at the hands of federal agents.
Federal officers on Monday morning shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Last week, Mexican national Lorenzo Sagrado Araujo was fatally wounded during a shooting in Houston.
Sources confirmed the pause on traffic stops to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister outlet. The agency did not independently confirm it.
“We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” officials said in a statement.
The recent incidents revived a political fight that consumed Washington earlier this year, after two other U.S. citizens were shot and killed in Minneapolis by federal officers.
Democrats have pushed for reforms to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, including greater limits on traffic stops and reduced use of force when carrying out the president’s crackdown on immigration.
The previous standoff between the GOP and Democrats ultimately led to a record-long partial shutdown of the department and heavy scrutiny of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — who was later ousted from the leadership role.
Some current and former immigration officials have also questioned whether the agency should reconsider traffic stops.
“I think it is absolutely time that we take a hard look, if not a moratorium on vehicular stops, until such time as we can decide…. what do we need to do to prevent this from recurring,” former acting ICE Director John Sandweg told CNN this week.
Sandweg, who ran the agency briefly under the Obama administration, added that personnel from its enforcement and removal operations division “do not have widespread experience in vehicular stops,” as opposed to local or state law enforcement.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also said Tuesday that she pushed for a shift in ICE’s practices following Guerrero’s death and called for an investigation into the shooting.
“While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops,” she wrote online.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · The Guardian ↗
President Trump on Wednesday said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should continue utilizing traffic stops, calling the tactic one of the agency's "most important and…
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Skip to content
President Trump on Wednesday said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should continue utilizing traffic stops, calling the tactic one of the agency’s “most important and effective” crime-fighting tools.
“The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, praising the agency’s efforts to enforce his robust deportation agenda and taking a swipe at the previous administration’s border policies.
“CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades,” he said, later adding that “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 Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job,” Trump said.
ICE earlier this week privately directed its officers to temporarily halt traffic stops in the wake of two deadly shootings at the hands of federal agents.
Federal officers on Monday morning shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Last week, Mexican national Lorenzo Sagrado Araujo was fatally wounded during a shooting in Houston.
Sources confirmed the pause on traffic stops to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister outlet. The agency did not independently confirm it.
“We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” officials said in a statement.
The recent incidents revived a political fight that consumed Washington earlier this year, after two other U.S. citizens were shot and killed in Minneapolis by federal officers.
Democrats have pushed for reforms to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, including greater limits on traffic stops and reduced use of force when carrying out the president’s crackdown on immigration.
The previous standoff between the GOP and Democrats ultimately led to a record-long partial shutdown of the department and heavy scrutiny of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — who was later ousted from the leadership role.
Some current and former immigration officials have also questioned whether the agency should reconsider traffic stops.
“I think it is absolutely time that we take a hard look, if not a moratorium on vehicular stops, until such time as we can decide…. what do we need to do to prevent this from recurring,” former acting ICE Director John Sandweg told CNN this week.
Sandweg, who ran the agency briefly under the Obama administration, added that personnel from its enforcement and removal operations division “do not have widespread experience in vehicular stops,” as opposed to local or state law enforcement.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also said Tuesday that she pushed for a shift in ICE’s practices following Guerrero’s death and called for an investigation into the shooting.
“While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops,” she wrote online.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · The Guardian ↗
Skip to content
President Trump on Wednesday said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should continue utilizing traffic stops, calling the tactic one of the agency’s “most important and effective” crime-fighting tools.
“The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, praising the agency’s efforts to enforce his robust deportation agenda and taking a swipe at the previous administration’s border policies.
“CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades,” he said, later adding that “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 Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job,” Trump said.
ICE earlier this week privately directed its officers to temporarily halt traffic stops in the wake of two deadly shootings at the hands of federal agents.
Federal officers on Monday morning shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Last week, Mexican national Lorenzo Sagrado Araujo was fatally wounded during a shooting in Houston.
Sources confirmed the pause on traffic stops to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister outlet. The agency did not independently confirm it.
“We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” officials said in a statement.
The recent incidents revived a political fight that consumed Washington earlier this year, after two other U.S. citizens were shot and killed in Minneapolis by federal officers.
Democrats have pushed for reforms to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, including greater limits on traffic stops and reduced use of force when carrying out the president’s crackdown on immigration.
The previous standoff between the GOP and Democrats ultimately led to a record-long partial shutdown of the department and heavy scrutiny of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — who was later ousted from the leadership role.
Some current and former immigration officials have also questioned whether the agency should reconsider traffic stops.
“I think it is absolutely time that we take a hard look, if not a moratorium on vehicular stops, until such time as we can decide…. what do we need to do to prevent this from recurring,” former acting ICE Director John Sandweg told CNN this week.
Sandweg, who ran the agency briefly under the Obama administration, added that personnel from its enforcement and removal operations division “do not have widespread experience in vehicular stops,” as opposed to local or state law enforcement.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also said Tuesday that she pushed for a shift in ICE’s practices following Guerrero’s death and called for an investigation into the shooting.
“While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops,” she wrote online.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · The Guardian ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- President Trump on Wednesday said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should continue utilizing traffic stops, calling the tactic one of the agency's "most important and…