CHICAGO () — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has directed officers to pause most vehicle stops across the country, a temporary shift that follows deadly shootings in Texas and Maine.
The change comes amid growing questions about ICE tactics during traffic stops and pursuits, including several incidents in the Chicago area tied to Operation Midway Blitz.
One case drew particular attention after a man died in Franklin Park last fall.
In another incident, surveillance video from October 2025 shows immigration agents in a white vehicle chasing another car through residential streets on Chicago’s East Side. The pursuit ended at a four-way stop when agents used a precision immobilization technique, known as a PIT maneuver, striking the red vehicle and disabling it before a foot chase continued near a Walgreens.
ABC7 Police Affairs Consultant Bill Kushner said maneuvers like that can create serious danger for people nearby.
“Once you pit that vehicle, that car goes out of control. Where is it going to end up? Is it going to end up in a house? Is it going to end up in a playground? Is it going to end up on top of a couple of kids? You don’t know,” Kushner said.
Kushner told the I-Team that a pursuit through a neighborhood filled with homes, traffic and possible pedestrians could have ended in disaster.
“The individual is not wanted for a forcible felony. He’s not fleeing with the use of a firearm or another deadly weapon. What precludes them from going by his house later on a rolling surveillance, seeing if the car is there, and taking him and sitting and taking him into custody when he walks out to the car,” Kushner said.
About a month before that pursuit, Silverio Villegas Gonzales was shot and killed by immigration agents in Franklin Park after an attempted vehicle stop. At the time, an agent said Villegas Gonzales tried to ram him and that he feared for his life.
Kushner said the incidents highlight the importance of training for ICE agents conducting street-level enforcement.
“Street enforcement was never really part of the ICE curriculum, you know. They’re into the realm now of what a good street policeman does,” Kushner said.
“You’re not trying to stop this person to kill them. You’re trying to stop them to take them into custody for whatever the offense might be,” he added.
Similar incidents have recently occurred in Texas and Maine, where two men were shot and killed by ICE agents following vehicle stops. The cases have raised questions about the tactics and methods used by ICE officers in the field.
According to ABC News, public outcry following those shootings prompted Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to pause ICE vehicle stops except in rare cases. Multiple sources told ABC News the suspension is temporary and that ICE officers will receive new training on conducting vehicle stops.
Kushner said more training and accountability measures could help address concerns.
“The training is a huge part of it, an absolute huge part of it, and I think the other thing that would help immensely would be to follow through on their promise to have them all equipped with body cameras,” Kushner said. “It actually debunks all the false rumors that are coming out after these incidents, and if guys are doing if the officers are doing nothing improper, it’s vindication. If they’re doing something wrong, it’s point of correction, and it’s a point of training.”
It remains unclear how long the pause on most ICE vehicle stops will remain in effect. Sources told ABC News that vehicle stops will continue for individuals authorities consider the most dangerous.
President Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, was pressed about the fatal ICE-involved shooting in Maine and in Houston that led to the temporary pause in ICE to traffic stops on Fox News and in a gaggle with reporters at the White House Tuesday afternoon.
When asked about the training of the officers involved in the Maine shooting, Homan said that ICE officers generally are “well-trained” for traffic stops and stressed that this is a pause to examine policies.
“The decision has been made by the secretary along with leadership at ICE. Look, it is not a policy change, it is a temporary pause. Look – last couple of shootings, ICE leadership along with DHS wants to look at these last couple incidents, and look, is there something that could have been done better? Is there any training that could be improved? Or simply is ICE doing their job and bad things happen when people don’t comply with law enforcement officers? I think it’s going to be a short pause, and I am confident that ICE is well trained in vehicle stops and you’re going to see us keep moving forward,” Homan said on Fox.
