US President Donald Trump has criticized the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) decision to suspend Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) use of traffic stops following two fatal shootings in less than a week. The suspensions came after a Colombian man was shot dead in Maine and a Mexican man was killed in Texas. In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump urged ICE to continue using traffic stops, calling them a vital tool in fighting crime.
The fatal incidents have sparked nationwide backlash against ICE's aggressive tactics. The victim in Maine, Joan Sebastian Guerrero, was a 26-year-old delivery driver authorized to work in the US. Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned Guerrero's killing as a'murder of a Latin American Colombian at the hands of the US government.'
In the Texas shooting, immigration authorities claimed Lorenzo Salgado, 52, had tried to run over an ICE agent, but witnesses have disputed that account. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, confirmed a 'pause' in traffic stops but insisted the practice would return, calling it effective.
Trump's directive comes amid ongoing controversy over ICE's tactics and the deaths of two US citizens earlier this year in Minneapolis. Rights groups and critics argue that ICE's methods are overly aggressive and often result in unnecessary violence.
The resumption of traffic stops by ICE could further inflame tensions around the agency's operations and the broader debate over immigration enforcement in the United States.
