ICE ordered to suspend vehicle stops after migrant deaths

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are now under orders to largely halt vehicle stops, a significant shift in the agency's tactics. This directive comes in the wake of two recent fatal encounters involving migrants and ICE agents.

“

Salgado used his vehicle as a weapon against the agent and he shot in self-defense.

On July 7, ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, in Houston, Texas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated Salgado used his vehicle as a weapon against the agent, who acted in self-defense. Just days later, on July 13, another ICE agent shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian, in Biddeford, Maine, during an operation targeting another individual. Activists claim Durán had work permits, while DHS cited public safety concerns.

“

Durán, who according to activists had work permits to be in the country, tried to flee and an agent shot him out of fears for 'public safety'.

These incidents have fueled public anger, particularly because neither agent was wearing a body camera, leaving no official video evidence to corroborate the accounts. The Mexican government has filed complaints with U.S. authorities, noting that at least 17 Mexican citizens have died in ICE operations or custody since the Trump administration began. An ICE spokesperson stated the agency continuously evaluates its procedures to ensure the safety of its officers and the public, but declined to comment further on specific tactics.

“

the agency is always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets