Trump Orders ICE to Maintain Vehicle Checkpoints

President Donald Trump demanded on Wednesday that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service not halt its traffic controls. The statement contradicts a directive issued just a day earlier by the agency itself. The measure emerged following two deadly shootings against Hispanic immigrants in Maine and Texas.

Trump defended ICE’s actions in a message posted on his Truth Social network. He assured that the agency is doing a «GREAT job» deporting immigrants. He added that many of them entered the country under Joe Biden’s administration.

«We cannot give up one of ICE’s most important and effective tools,» the president wrote. He was referring specifically to traffic controls as a migration enforcement technique. He warned that eliminating that tool would directly favor criminals.

A Directive Reversed in Less Than 24 Hours

On Tuesday, ICE had ordered its agents to suspend most vehicle pursuits. The measure came hours after an officer shot a Colombian driver in Maine. It occurred just a week after a similar shooting against a Mexican man in Houston.

Tom Homan, Trump’s immigration czar, had characterized the pause as temporary. He explained that it aimed to ensure agents acted properly. However, the presidential message appeared to reverse that decision just a day later.

High-ranking ICE officials were surprised by the presidential post. They did not expect Trump to order the resumption of vehicle controls so quickly. It remains unclear who originally authorized the temporary pause.

Two Victims Who Were Not the Real Target

The victims were identified as Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. The former, a 26-year-old Colombian, died Monday in Biddeford, Maine. The latter, a 51-year-old Mexican, died a week earlier in Houston, Texas.

Neither of the two men was the original target of the migration operations. Both were driving to their jobs when they were intercepted by federal agents. In neither case did the agents have body cameras activated.

This absence of recordings makes it extremely difficult to reconstruct what happened in both shootings. Questions persist about the distance between the agents and the vehicles at the time of shooting. It is also unknown whether the drivers received clear verbal warnings before the shots were fired.

A Third Death Reignites Controversy

On Tuesday, a third tragic case occurred during a migration operation in Florida. A 28-year-old man died after being struck by a cargo truck. Authorities indicated that he was fleeing federal agents at the time of the accident.

These episodes reignited strong criticism of ICE’s migration control tactics. The agency had already faced similar scrutiny since last winter. Back then, U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good were shot and killed in Minnesota.

The pattern has repeated constantly since the start of Trump’s migration offensive. Federal agents confront drivers and then claim to have fired in self-defense. Police experts have warned for decades about the risks of shooting at moving vehicles.

Growing Concern Among Lawmakers

The situation generated unease even among some Republican Party lawmakers. Senator Susan Collins of Maine formally requested an urgent review of the policy. She asked National Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to suspend non-urgent vehicle stops.

Maine’s congressional delegation also demanded a transparent and expedited investigation of the case. The state attorney general’s office confirmed it is collaborating with federal agencies. According to preliminary information, the driver allegedly attempted to flee in the direction of the agent.

John Sandweg, former interim ICE director during Barack Obama’s administration, offered a revealing figure. He estimated that approximately 18 shootings linked to traffic controls have been recorded during the current migration offensive. He considered it urgent to evaluate a possible moratorium on this type of detention.

Arrest Figures on Steady Increase

Despite the controversy, migration operations continue to intensify across the country. During a five-day period in late June, ICE arrested more than 10,000 people. The figures show that the offensive no longer concentrates on specific cities.

Maine had a significant ICE presence at the beginning of this year. That activity prompted numerous citizen protests in various communities throughout the state. Migration authorities later claimed to have ceased «intensified operations» in the region.

The debate over the balance between security and civil rights remains unresolved. While Trump insists on maintaining vehicle controls as an essential tool, criticism continues to grow. The outcome of this dispute will define the course of migration policy in the coming months.

An Internal Power Struggle Within the Government Itself

The contradiction between the presidential order and ICE’s directive exposed internal tensions. Some analysts suggest that the pause may have come directly from Mullin. If confirmed, Trump’s message would represent a