Trump Praises ICE Amid Controversial Traffic-Stop Shootings

Since March of the previous year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has shot at least 21 people during traffic stops. In the span of one week, ICE agents in Houston killed Salgado Araujo while he was driving to work, and agents in Biddeford, Maine, killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero. The incidents sparked protests and prompted the administration to pause most traffic stops. Less than 24 hours after the pause, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, praising ICE and urging agents to continue traffic stops.

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The surge in fatal traffic stops led ICE to order a “short pause” of most stops, a measure described by immigration chief Tom Homan as a check to ensure proper conduct. The pause was intended to address public outcry while the agency maintained its broader enforcement strategy.

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President Trump wrote that “the men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” adding that the nation “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.” Tom Homan characterized the pause as a brief step to verify procedures. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended each shooting: it claimed Araujo attempted to weaponize his vehicle, and that an agent who shot Guerrero “fearing for public safety” after Guerrero tried to flee. Neither family received condolences from the administration.

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Commentators describe the pattern of shootings as a “terror campaign against immigrants,” noting that the killings have intensified protests and raised questions about ICE’s use of lethal force. Critics argue that Trump’s endorsement ignores the deaths of legally residing individuals and undermines accountability for the agency’s actions.

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• “The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” — Donald Trump, Truth Social post

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• “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! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.” — Donald Trump, Truth Social post

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• “short pause just to make sure we’re doing the right thing.” — Tom Homan, immigration czar

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• “fearing for public safety.” — Agent’s statement cited by DHS after the Guerrero shooting

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