ICE Pauses Nationwide Vehicle Stops After Three Fatal Incidents

The directive comes after a series of lethal encounters involving federal agents that have sparked national outrage. On Monday, July 13, 2026, an ICE agent shot and killed 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. This occurred just six days after ICE agents killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant, in Houston. A third death followed on Tuesday in Florida, where a 28-year-old man was struck and killed by a tractor trailer while fleeing immigration and other federal officers, AP News reported.

ICE Policy Shift and the ‘Temporary Pause’

Border czar Tom Homan told FOX News on Tuesday that the agency would temporarily pause most vehicle stops. According to a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official and two former senior DHS officials cited by NBC News, the order is nationwide and instructs officers to stop pursuing people in vehicles.

The pause is not a total cessation of activity. A source familiar with the decision told AP News that exceptions remain for officers executing a criminal warrant or collaborating with partner agencies. The change does not affect arrests.

evaluating the incidents to determine what additional training is needed to reduce the negative outcomes we are seeing.

There is currently no scheduled timeline for when the pause will be lifted.

Conflicting Accounts of the Biddeford Shooting

The death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero has highlighted discrepancies between official DHS statements and the accounts provided to lawmakers. Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national authorized to work in the U.S., was not the subject of the warrant being served, according to the office of Sen. Angus King.

DHS stated on X that agents were surveilling a home for someone with a final order of removal when an illegal alien left the residence in a vehicle. The agency claimed the driver attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.

However, Sen. Angus King reported a different version of events. According to AP News, King stated that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer opened fire after the man attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon.

Senate Reaction and the Question of Quotas

The shootings have divided Senate leadership on the cause of the violence. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, expressed extreme disappointment that the agent involved in the Maine shooting was not wearing a body camera, stating, There’s no excuse for it.

King further alleged that the administration has pressured ICE agents to meet arrest quotas, which he argues has contributed to these shootings by encouraging agents to target anyone with any semblance of a reason for an arrest and detention.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins disputed this claim. While Collins told reporters she had three conversations with Secretary Mullin and advocated for a halt in non-emergency traffic stops, she stated she was not aware of pressure to meet quotas. I would be concerned if I knew that to be true, Collins said, But I have not heard that at all.

Public Outcry and International Response

The violence triggered immediate protests across New England. On Tuesday, July 14, hundreds of people demonstrated in Scarborough, Maine, near an ICE facility. Similar rallies occurred in Portland, Yarmouth, and Lewiston. In Boston, an event organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Massachusetts TPS Committee, and other groups drew advocates demanding justice for the victims.

The current situation leaves several critical questions unanswered, specifically regarding the internal DHS pressure to increase arrest numbers and the exact sequence of events leading to the discharge of weapons in both the Maine and Texas incidents.

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