Topline
Immigration and Customs Enforcement will temporarily pause most traffic stops, it was widely reported on Tuesday, following two deadly shootings during vehicular stops in less than a week—one in Maine on Monday and one last week in Houston.
Investigators are seen at the scene of a fatal ICE-involved shooting in Biddeford, Maine on Monday.
Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Key Facts
The pause is only temporary until ICE agents receive further training on stopping vehicles, sources told multiple outlets.
Despite the pause, the agency will continue using vehicle stops when targeting serious criminal offenders, according to the CBS sources, while CNN reported agents were directed to work with other partner agencies to stop vehicles.
The policy shift comes one day after federal agents shot and killed a man, identified in the press as a 26-year-old Colombian in Biddeford, Maine, after attempting to conduct a vehicle stop, DHS said in a statement on Monday night.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Monday night and “urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.”
What to Watch For
The exact timeline leading up to Monday’s deadly shooting in Maine remains unclear. According to DHS, federal officers saw an “illegal alien” leaving a residence in Biddeford and attempted to make a vehicle stop. “The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” DHS said, while offering no further details on the officer’s concerns. The ICE officers were not wearing body cameras, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, confirmed in a statement on Tuesday morning after speaking with Mullin. Videos that have surfaced since the incident reveal few details about the shooting. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, later told the Portland Press Herald that the victim was not the intended target of the warrant federal officers were executing during the operation, also citing a conversation with Mullin. The DHS office of the inspector general is investigating the deadly shooting.