U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have been ordered to immediately refrain from conducting vehicle stops during enforcement operations nationwide.
The directive comes after the deaths of two foreign nationals at the hands of immigration agents took place less than a week apart. Both victims were shot and killed during vehicle stops.
According to federal officials, the only exception to the directive is for those considered to be “the most egregious targets with serious or violent criminal histories.”
Sources confirm that the directive applies only to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), not to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The former division primarily focused on civil immigration arrests and removals, while the latter handles criminal investigations.
The temporary suspension will be in place as ERO officers receive additional training on vehicle-stop procedures.
Two Deaths From ICE Vehicle Stops
On July 13, 2026, 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official in Biddeford, Maine.
According to DHS, Guerrero “attempted to flee the scene” during an enforcement operation, prompting an officer to “discharge his weapon” in fear for public safety.
Guerrero, a Colombian National, was authorized to work in the U.S. and had been issued a Social Security Number.
Security footage from a nearby pawn shop shows that Guerrero was driving and circling an intersection at a slow speed before enforcement officials rammed into his vehicle.
On July 8, 2026, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican National, was shot and killed during a “targeted enforcement operation.”
Neither victim was the intended target of the operations.
DHS Response After Directive's Release
“We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson issued in an e-mail statement.
