President Donald Trump stated Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement should continue conducting traffic stops, publicly opposing a new agency policy enacted to halt the practice.
Writing on his social media platform early Wednesday, Trump stated that ICE is “doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done.”
He argued against suspending the enforcement tactic, writing that to remove criminals who entered the country under the previous administration, “we must be strong, tough and smart and we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Trump added, “Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
The policy change to stop the maneuvers followed two recent fatal shootings by ICE personnel. On Monday, an ICE officer shot and killed a Colombian driver in Maine.
One week prior, an officer shot and killed a motorist in Houston. The incidents drew renewed attention to the agency’s enforcement methods, which previously faced criticism last winter following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
On Tuesday, a third compliance-related fatality occurred during an encounter with immigration officers in Florida. Authorities reported that a 28-year-old man died after being struck by a tractor-trailer while fleeing immigration and other federal officers on foot.
The recent fatalities follow a recurring sequence where federal officers confront drivers and subsequently discharge firearms, stating that the targeted vehicles had become an immediate danger. Conversely, law enforcement experts have issued guidelines for decades advising that shooting into moving vehicles carries significant risks and should generally be avoided.
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