Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been instructed to resume conducting traffic stops after a brief nationwide pause, though new operational requirements are expected to significantly limit how often the tactic can be used.
According to sources familiar with the directive who spoke to The Daily Wire, ICE officers may once again initiate vehicle stops, but only under stricter guidelines that require additional personnel, equipment and justification.
The temporary suspension lasted roughly one day and followed two fatal shootings during traffic stop operations, including the death of a Colombian migrant in Maine and a separate incident that killed a Mexican illegal immigrant in Houston.
New Rules for Traffic Stops
Under the updated policy, ICE teams conducting traffic stops must meet several new requirements.
According to sources, each operation must include:
- At least one officer equipped with a body-worn camera.
- A team member with specialized prosecutions training.
- An operational justification for conducting the stop.
While the restrictions formally allow traffic stops to resume, ICE personnel say the body camera requirement alone will dramatically reduce the agency’s ability to carry them out.
“Basically, it boils down to unless someone has a body-worn camera, no vehicle stops can be made,” one agency source told The Daily Wire. “Since the majority of officers do not have body-worn cameras, hardly any stops will be made.”
Body Camera Rollout Still Underway
Questions about ICE’s use of body cameras intensified after neither of the officers involved in the recent fatal shootings appeared to be wearing one.
During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that the rollout has taken longer than expected but said the agency is making progress.
“Over half of all ICE field offices now do have body cameras and the remainder of the field offices are expected within 60 days,” Leavitt told reporters.
“It’s been a slower rollout than we would have hoped, but that’s because [of] the Democrats’ decision to shut down DHS for several weeks,” she added. “We expect to fully execute on the promise of body cams to all field offices across the country very soon.”
Temporary Pause Drew Frustration Inside ICE
The brief suspension reportedly frustrated many ICE officers, who describe traffic stops as one of the agency’s most effective tools for locating and arresting individuals living in the country illegally.
One ICE source expressed concern that enforcement activity would decline dramatically during the pause.
“Numbers are going down, we can’t do sh*t,” the source said.
Trump Orders Traffic Stops Restored
By Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump publicly called for the suspension to end, arguing that eliminating traffic stops would weaken immigration enforcement and benefit criminals.
“The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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!” he continued. “Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
The president also criticized pressure from Democrats to curtail ICE’s enforcement tactics.
“The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch,” Trump wrote. “I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.”
Internal Disagreement
According to the report, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ordered the temporary suspension without first consulting Trump, reportedly angering the president and prompting the rapid reversal.
Although ICE officers have now been cleared to resume traffic stops, the agency’s ongoing body camera rollout means the new restrictions could continue to limit enforcement operations for weeks.
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