President Donald Trump said Immigration and Customs Enforcement should continue conducting traffic stops following a string of fatal encounters between agents and migrants, comments that appear to conflict with an internal policy change to halt routine vehicle stops.
Writing early Wednesday on his social media platform, the president praised ICE and framed traffic stops as a critical enforcement tool. He warned that giving them up would play into criminals’ hands and hamper efforts to remove people the administration describes as dangerous.
"ICE is doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done... THE TRAFFIC STOP!"
Deaths tied to immigration operations
The comments came after a recent series of deadly encounters. In Florida on Tuesday, authorities said a 28-year-old man was killed after he ran from immigration and other federal officers and was struck by a tractor-trailer. Officials also reported a second fatality in the same week in Houston, and federal officials have been involved in multiple operations that ended with fatal shootings.
- At least 10 people have died during immigration operations since the start of the Trump administration's deportation effort.
- At least 4 of those deaths involved people in vehicles.
- John Sandweg, a former acting ICE director, estimated about 18 traffic-stop shootings during this enforcement campaign.
Policy, safety and oversight
The president's endorsement of traffic stops appears at odds with a new directive reported to halt such stops as a precaution after the recent fatalities. Senators and others have raised concerns: Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to "cease all non-urgent vehicle stops" in light of the pattern of deadly encounters.
Policing experts have long warned that firing into moving vehicles is dangerous and should generally be avoided; the recent deaths have renewed scrutiny of federal tactics, training and command decisions during immigration operations. Administration officials have increasingly faced questions about the balance between aggressive enforcement and measures to limit civilian harm.
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Deaths during immigration operations (since campaign start) | At least 10 |
| Deaths involving vehicles | At least 4 |
| Estimated traffic-stop shootings (per John Sandweg) | ~18 |
The president framed the issue as one of law enforcement efficacy and national security, asserting that ICE must remain "strong, tough and smart" to remove criminals he said entered under the previous Democratic administration. Critics argue that continuing high-risk vehicle stops could result in further casualties and legal exposure for federal agencies.
As federal officials weigh policy changes in response to the recent fatalities, the debate centers on how to both maintain border and interior enforcement priorities and reduce the likelihood of deadly outcomes during encounters between immigration agents and the public.
