Full Breakdown
ICE Extends Administrative Leave for Officers Involved in Deadly-Force Incidents
8/26/2026, 4:26:00 AM
New Policy Limits Patrol Duties After Shootings
Acting ICE Director David Venturella ordered a rule change in late July that requires any officer who fires a weapon, applies a choke hold, or otherwise uses deadly force to remain on desk duty until investigators clear them. Under the prior system, an officer could return to field work after as few as three days, with supervisors able to extend leave only as a signal of diminished confidence. The new requirement, not publicly announced, applies to all roughly 15,000 ICE deportation officers.
Recent Fatal Traffic-Stop Shootings Prompt Action
In early July, two fatal shootings occurred during traffic stops. On July 7, ICE officers in Texas killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican contractor. Six days later, an officer in Maine fatally shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian immigrant. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the officers acted in self-defense, and both incidents remain under federal investigation. The Maine officer, David Brouillette, was a recent hire whose family reported prior mental-health and violent-behavior concerns.
Agency Response: Equipment and Procedural Shifts
Following the killings, ICE and DHS pledged to accelerate deployment of body-worn cameras; most units have received the devices, though officials do not know when all officers will be equipped. Venturella and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin temporarily halted non-emergency traffic stops, a directive later reversed by President Donald Trump after criticism from immigration hard-liners. ICE also announced a $20 million investment in electrified gloves for use in traffic stops and other confrontations, describing the shocks as painful but more localized than Tasers.
Data Overview
Public records show ICE officers have shot at least 16 people since last January, four of them fatally. Arrests by ICE reached nearly 50,000 in July, the highest monthly total since the president’s return to office. The agency’s shift away from a city-by-city surge strategy has reduced clashes with protesters, but pressure to maximize arrests persists.
