Donald Trump has overturned a directive that ordered ICE agents to stop conducting vehicle stops aimed at undocumented migrants, a move that followed fatal shootings in Maine and Texas.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had instructed officers on Tuesday to “immediately” pause the stops after two drivers were killed in separate incidents within less than a week.
But Trump has now stepped in, offering strong praise for ICE officers while arguing that the immigration enforcement agency cannot surrender key powers amid the backlash.
“Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands,” Trump wrote Wednesday in a post on Truth Social.
The president’s public rebuke puts Mullin in a precarious position, coming only months after similar bloodshed involving ICE helped bring down his predecessor’s Cabinet tenure.
Kristi Noem was dismissed by Trump in March after turbulent immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis resulted in the deaths of two unarmed Americans and fueled widespread criticism of the administration.
The latest shootings in Maine and Texas have triggered a fresh wave of outrage from Democrats. Mullin issued his order after speaking with Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, who pressed him to “cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.” Collins is up for re-election this year in a state that has traditionally leaned blue.
In Houston, 52-year-old father of three Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an ICE agent on July 7 while he was driving to work.
In a Truth Social post on Monday morning, Donald Trump praised ICE officers and insisted the agency cannot afford to give up the traffic stops
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers received an email from senior Homeland Security leadership on Tuesday ordering them to ‘immediately’ pause all vehicle stops
The latest ICE shootings in Maine and Texas have sparked public outcry from Democrats
Six days later in Biddeford, Maine, agents staking out a home opened fire on a car they say tried to flee, killing Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national.
The agent who reportedly shot Guerrero was a new recruit who joined the agency last year, according to the Atlantic.
Neither man was the target of the operation that killed him, and the agents involved in both shootings were not wearing body cameras.
Homeland Security has claimed both drivers tried to run over law enforcement, but has yet to produce evidence backing up those claims.
Within hours of Monday’s shooting, several hundred protesters came out across Maine with vigils spreading to Portland and Lewiston. Demonstrators also lined up outside Collins’s office demanding answers.
Protesters could be seen holding anti-ICE signs while chanting ‘ICE out’ on Monday evening.
In Houston, where thousands have taken to the streets since Araujo’s death, demonstrators rallied outside City Hall on Tuesday and packed a city council meeting to demand an investigation.
It is unclear if DHS will immediately reverse Mullin’s directive following Trump’s latest comments.
Protesters were holding anti-ICE signs while chanting ‘ICE out’ on Monday evening
ICE officers battle with protesters outside a New Jersey detention facility
Border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday said that ICE’s pause on car stops was only temporary and wouldn’t bring down the number of arrests.
‘I wouldn’t even call this a bump in the road – this is going to be a short-term review, so ICE feels comfortable that their agents are safe, they’re doing the right thing and get back to doing what they do best,’ he told Fox News.
The Daily Mail has contacted Homeland Security for comment.
Following Trump’s post, Mullin issued a statement on X: ‘Our #1 goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals OFF our streets. Illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are.’
‘If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW. As our officers carry out operations to enforce our nations laws, they are facing a more than 1,300% increase in vehicle attacks,’ Mullin added.
