Trump urges continuation of ICE traffic stops after recent fatal shootings

President Donald Trump posted on social media on Wednesday urging Immigration and Customs Enforcement to resume traffic stops, stating that the agency’s primary goal is to keep officers safe and remove illegal immigrants. The comment came after two fatal shootings involving ICE officers – one in Biddeford, Maine, where Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was killed, and another in Houston, Texas, where construction worker Lorenzo Araujo Salgado was shot.

In Maine, the Department of Homeland Security said an officer fired because he feared for public safety after Durán Guerrero allegedly tried to flee in his vehicle. Neighbors disputed the claim that the public was threatened, describing the area as a quiet, working-class neighborhood. Governor Janet Mills wrote to Congress urging the abolition of ICE unless it is fundamentally reformed.

In Houston, local officials, including Mayor Sylvester Turner and Police Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr., have called for an independent investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The city’s mayor also asked the Department of Homeland Security to pause ICE vehicle stops for 90 days while policies are reviewed.

Minnesota authorities have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the Department of Homeland Security failed to provide information about the arrest of a Hmong American man by immigration agents. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said a law was broken and the agency has not responded to formal requests for data.

The shootings have prompted protests and calls for greater transparency, with critics highlighting that the ICE officers involved were not wearing body cameras. Homeland Security officials said the investigations are ongoing and that any misconduct will be addressed.