by Debra Heine
President Trump on Wednesday ordered ICE to resume vehicle stops, reversing the temporary pause initiated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just one day prior. The president declared on Truth Social that traffic stops are “one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools” and instructed agents to “go back and do your very important job.”
On Tuesday, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to halt most vehicle stops indefinitely following two fatal shootings in Maine and Texas.
DHS sent the following memo out to all field office directors, saying ALL vehicle stops were suspended until further notice:
The suspension was intended to allow for a review of tactics and additional training on conducting vehicle stops after ICE agents shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston.
Both men were shot while attempting to flee during targeted enforcement operations.
On June 7, according to DHS, Araujo rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle in Houston while attempting to evade arrest. Guerrero, a 26-year-old Columbian national, was shot by an agent in Biddeford while attempting to flee the scene. DHS said in a statement that the agent discharged his weapon “fearing for public safety.”
Neither individual was the specific target of the enforcement operations, but were driving vehicles carrying the target.
ICE personnel were reportedly frustrated by the Mullin’s directive as it would have severely curtailed operations.
“Numbers are going down, we can’t do sh-t,” an agency source told The Daily Wire.
The president came to their defense in a big way on Wednesday.
“The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” Trump declared in his Truth Social post.
CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades. The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted. Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands. The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job. Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America.
“Our #1 goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals OFF our streets,” Mullin posted on X is response to Trump’s directive. “Illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are. If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW. As our officers carry out operations to enforce our nations laws, they are facing a more than 1,300 percent.”
The Secretary called out the following Democrat lawmakers who have worked with radical illegal immigrant rights groups to defy immigration enforcement.
▪️Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted a webinar providing tips for illegal aliens to evade arrests at homes, workplaces, or in public.
▪️Dan Goldman posted a video online calling on illegal aliens to make a plan for ICE encounters.
▪️Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued multilingual flyers and online resources advising illegal aliens on how to evade arrest.
▪️California Governor Gavin Newsom released guides and sanctuary laws advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest.
DHS shared Trump’s post on X and stated: “Our message to illegal aliens is clear: LEAVE NOW using the CBP Home app and receive a $2,600 check. If you don’t, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you.”
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Debra Heine reports for American Greatness.
