OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Brooke Mallory
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
UPDATE – 11:41 AM: Shortly after President Donald Trump’s social media post, the White House confirmed to media outlets that the president’s directive officially overruled and canceled the DHS memo, reinstating the vehicle stops, CBS News reported.
11:18 AM: President Donald Trump urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday to resume traffic stops after the agency abruptly halted the practice in “most cases.”
“We CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Trump warned. “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.”
Trump touted his administration’s immigration enforcement record while criticizing the failed policies of former President Joe Biden.
“The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done. 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,” Trump continued.
“Remember, you are loved and respected in America,” he later added, addressing ICE agents.
Trump’s pushback followed reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had temporarily suspended the practice. The DHS ordered the pause to “provide additional tactical training to officers” after two fatal, agent-involved shootings occurred in Texas and Maine over the span of a week.
Nonetheless, under the temporary directive, vehicle stops are “prohibited except in high-risk cases involving serious violent felony warrants or joint operations with partner law enforcement agencies.”
Last week, in Texas, an ICE officer expressed that he feared for his life during a vehicle stop after an illegal alien driver attempted to run over officers in order to flee arrest, prompting the agent to fire his gun at the driver. The agents in Houston were not wearing body cameras at the time, but the DHS noted that they will receive cameras within the next 60 days, according to the Associated Press.
Additionally, on Monday, another undocumented motorist was killed in Maine while fleeing arrest. An ICE spokesperson stated that the officer opened fire because they “feared for public safety” after the driver rammed an ICE vehicle. The FBI is now partnering with local authorities to investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, media outlets and a number of political figures have directly credited Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin with making the decision to pause the ICE traffic stops. Law enforcement sources confirmed to outlets like ABC News and FOX News that Secretary Mullin personally handed down the order to temporarily halt vehicle stops nationwide.
According to reports, the timing of Mullin’s decision was heavily influenced by Maine’s congressional delegation. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) publicly stated that she spoke directly with Mullin on Monday night and personally “urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops” in the wake of the fatal shooting in Biddeford.
However, as a result, the DHS secretary is now facing backlash from conservatives who argue that he showed weakness by pausing the stops in the first place. Right-wing commentators and GOP lawmakers argue that by suspending vehicle stops, Mullin is effectively caving to progressive pressure and Senator Collins. They echoed President Trump’s sentiment that pausing traffic stops “plays right into the hands of criminals.”
Although he reiterated his “support” for deportation, stating that people illegally in the country would be “arrested and deported wherever they are,” Mullin completely avoided answering whether ICE officers are actually allowed to resume traffic stops on the ground.
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