Two killed, then the President overruled the safety pause

Summary

After ICE officers fatally shot two men during attempted vehicle stops in Maine and Texas, DHS ordered a nationwide pause on most ICE vehicle stops; within roughly a day President Trump publicly overturned the pause and directed ICE to keep conducting traffic stops.

What happened

ICE officers shot and killed Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national, in Biddeford, Maine on July 13-14, 2026, days after officers fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an attempted stop in Houston. DHS ordered ICE on July 14 to immediately halt most vehicle stops and prioritize other methods. On July 15, Trump, reportedly furious that he had not been consulted, used Truth Social to reverse the order, writing that ICE 'CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.'s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP,' while telling agents to be 'judicious.' The White House confirmed the post was intended to override the DHS memo.

Impact on the United States

Two people were killed during enforcement stops, protests erupted in Maine, and the President overruled his own department's safety pause, keeping ICE vehicle stops in use nationwide.

Documented effects

1. Jul 13, 2026ICE officer fatally shot Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, 26, a Colombian national, in Biddeford, Maine during an attempted vehicle stop.[1][5]
2. Jul 14, 2026DHS ordered a nationwide pause on most ICE vehicle stops.[1][2]
3. Jul 15, 2026Trump publicly overrode the pause on Truth Social and directed ICE to continue traffic stops.[3][4]
4. Jul 24, 2026The Harris County District Attorney's office said a substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's van, which an FBI filing suggested was methamphetamine, tested negative for drugs; Salgado Araujo, shot during a July 7 stop in Houston, had lived in the US for 35 years, and ICE has not disputed that he had no criminal record.[6]
5. Sep 20, 2026An ICE agent shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan DoorDash worker, in Austin on September 20, 2026; a city council member said the officer rammed his car and fired at least five times. Sources said the officer wore no body camera, although DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin had said officers would have them by the end of September.[7][8]

Why this is rated severe

Two people were killed during ICE vehicle stops within about a week; after DHS ordered a nationwide safety pause, the President overrode it and directed agents to keep using the tactic, keeping it in use nationwide.

Corrections & updates [3]

Every change to a fact on this page after publication is logged here, newest first.

1. Sep 29, 2026UpdatedKey facts

   Updated: prosecutors said the substance in the Houston victim's van tested negative for drugs, and an ICE officer shot and wounded a man in Austin on September 20, 2026 while not wearing a body camera, according to sources cited by CBS News.[6][7][8]

2. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedSummary

   Clarified: the statement that the President's decision signaled killings would not curb the tactic and increased risk to drivers and bystanders nationwide is a characterization no cited source makes; it was replaced with the documented outcome, that the tactic stayed in use nationwide.[2][3]

   + Show previous and current text- Hide previous and current text

   Previously

   Two people were killed during enforcement stops, protests erupted in Maine, and the President overruled his own DHS Secretary's safety pause, signaling that officer-involved killings would not curb an aggressive tactic and increasing risk to drivers and bystanders nationwide.

   Now

   Two people were killed during enforcement stops, protests erupted in Maine, and the President overruled his own department's safety pause, keeping ICE vehicle stops in use nationwide.

3. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedSeverity rationale

   Replaced 'entrenching a lethal enforcement practice' with the documented facts. Severity unchanged.

   + Show previous and current text- Hide previous and current text

   Previously

   Two people were killed on US soil during ICE vehicle stops within about a week; after DHS ordered a nationwide safety pause, the President personally overrode it and directed agents to keep using the tactic, entrenching a lethal enforcement practice over his own department's caution.

   Now

   Two people were killed during ICE vehicle stops within about a week; after DHS ordered a nationwide safety pause, the President overrode it and directed agents to keep using the tactic, keeping it in use nationwide.

Sources [8]