Yes. On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, President Trump overturned a Department of Homeland Security pause on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle stops, roughly 24 hours after agents were told the pause was in effect.
ICE — the federal agency that arrests and deports people for immigration violations — had briefly halted non-urgent traffic stops after two fatal shootings, then resumed them under Trump's order. The reversal followed the president's anger over news coverage suggesting he was softening enforcement. The restored policy came with one new condition and, weeks later, still was not fully in force across the country.
Table of Contents
- What the pause actually did
- The two shootings behind the decision
- Why Trump reversed it within a day
- What changed when stops resumed
- The reinstatement is not complete
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the pause actually did
The pause was narrow and short-lived. after two fatal ice shootings in under a week, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin directed a "necessary short-term pause" on non-urgent ICE vehicle stops, effective immediately around July 13, 2026. The guidance targeted routine traffic stops during operations, not all enforcement. It aimed to reduce high-risk roadside encounters while the shootings drew scrutiny.
DHS also said no agents involved wore body cameras, and it vowed to deploy cameras to all agents within 60 days. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she personally urged Mullin to halt non-urgent stops, according to NPR. That request came directly from a shooting in her home state, giving the pause a clear political origin.
The two shootings behind the decision
Both deaths involved people who were not the intended targets of the operations. On July 7, 2026, ICE agents in unmarked vehicles pursued and fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, in Houston; he was not the operation's target.
Six days later, on July 13 in Biddeford, Maine, ICE agents attempting a stop killed Joan Durán Guerrero, 26, a Colombian national. Lawmakers said he was also not the warrant's target. These two incidents, close together and involving unintended victims, created the pressure that produced the temporary halt.
Why Trump reversed it within a day
The reversal was fast and driven by optics. trump overturned the DHS pause on July 15, after growing furious over coverage suggesting he was weakening enforcement. A key detail: the president was not consulted first.
Neither Mullin nor border czar Tom Homan alerted Trump before imposing the pause, and ICE leadership was surprised by his public call to resume stops. There is also a numbers-driven backdrop. DHS officials remain pressured to hit Trump's self-imposed goal of roughly 2,000 arrests per day, according to CNN. That target framed the base's demand to keep aggressive tactics in place.
What changed when stops resumed
Resumed does not mean unchanged. ICE officers were told they may resume traffic stops during operations provided at least one involved officer wears a body camera, according to TIME.
That single condition is the main practical difference from the pre-pause rules. It responds to the DHS admission that no agents in the two shootings wore cameras. Here is the short timeline readers can track:.
- **July 7:** Fatal shooting in Houston
- **July 13:** Fatal shooting in Biddeford, Maine; pause takes effect
- **July 15:** Trump reverses the pause, adds the body-camera condition
The reinstatement is not complete
Trump's order did not fully take hold everywhere. Despite the directive, ICE offices in at least four "areas of responsibility" did not resume vehicle stops, The Intercept reported on July 25, 2026.
For readers tracking enforcement in a specific region, this matters. National policy and local practice can diverge, so the rule in your area may differ from the White House announcement. For DHS's own account of the Maine shooting, see the DHS Secretary statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are ICE traffic stops legal again everywhere?
Not uniformly. Trump restored them on July 15, 2026, but The Intercept reported at least four ICE regions had not resumed vehicle stops as of July 25.
What is the one new requirement for a stop?
At least one officer involved in the operation must wear a body camera, according to TIME.
Who ordered the original pause?
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, after Sen. Susan Collins urged him to halt non-urgent stops following the two fatal shootings.