Trump Orders ICE Vehicle Stops to Resume

President Donald Trump this week ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to resume vehicle stops, reversing a pause the Department of Homeland Security had put in place after two fatal ICE shootings within a single week. Axios reported that Trump was angry about the suspension and directed that enforcement continue.

The shootings that prompted the pause occurred in Texas and in Biddeford, Maine. Questions about the Maine incident grew after sources told The Intercept that ICE officers at the scene were wearing body cameras that had not been turned on. The disclosure added to concerns about accountability in how the agency documents its use of force.

The reversal came in the same week the ACLU released a report documenting widespread use of force in immigration enforcement. The report concluded that force has become a "default tool" for ICE officers, according to NPR. Taken together, the fatal shootings, the deactivated cameras and the president's decision to override his own department's pause put ICE tactics under renewed scrutiny in a week in which immigration enforcement dominated domestic news.

The context

DHS suspended ICE vehicle stops after the tactic was linked to two fatal shootings in the span of a week, one in Texas and one in Biddeford, Maine. The pause was short-lived: Axios reported that Trump complained about the decision and ordered it reversed, putting the stops back into practice.

The Maine shooting drew particular attention because of the body camera disclosure. Officers at the scene were equipped with cameras, but sources told The Intercept the devices were not activated, meaning no agency footage captured the encounter. The ACLU report released this week placed the shootings in a broader pattern, finding that force is used widely across immigration enforcement rather than as a last resort. How the pause was communicated inside DHS, and what standards govern vehicle stops going forward, were not detailed in the available reporting.

Why it matters

The reversal means a tactic tied to two deaths in one week will continue without the review period DHS had initiated, a decision that affects both immigrants who may be subject to stops and the officers conducting them. The unactivated body cameras in Maine raise questions about whether existing accountability tools are being used, and the ACLU's finding that force is a "default tool" suggests the shootings may reflect broader practice rather than isolated incidents. The episode also shows the White House directly overriding an operational pause by its own department.

What’s next

Watch for whether DHS or ICE issues new guidance on vehicle stops or body camera activation, and for any findings from investigations into the Texas and Maine shootings. It remains unclear whether the ACLU report or the camera disclosure will prompt congressional or internal reviews of ICE's use-of-force practices; no such steps were described in the available reporting.