White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin are in agreement on restarting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic stops, a tactic temporarily halted after two fatal shootings by federal agents.
“Vehicle stops are continuing. Verbal guidance has been given to all field offices across the country by the Department of Homeland Security,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House press briefing. She emphasized that both Trump and Mullin view traffic stops as a critical tool for ICE’s deportation efforts targeting what the administration calls “the worst of the worst illegal alien criminals.”
The clarification comes after ICE reportedly ordered officers to pause traffic stops following two separate incidents where agents shot and killed individuals in their vehicles. Last week, Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Houston. On Monday, federal officers shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.
Trump addressed the issue directly Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, urging the agency to continue using traffic stops. “The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” he wrote. “CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades. 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.”
Mullin, who has not publicly addressed the pause, posted on X later Thursday: “Our #1 goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals OFF our streets. Illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are. If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW. As our officers carry out operations to enforce our nations laws.” He added, “We remind illegal aliens attempting to evade arrest is dangerous.”
The controversy follows earlier backlash against ICE after two unarmed U.S. citizens were shot and killed in Minneapolis by federal officers earlier this year. Those incidents drew sharp criticism from civil liberties groups and some lawmakers, who argue that aggressive enforcement tactics risk escalating violence and eroding public trust.
Leavitt’s remarks signal the administration’s determination to maintain a hardline enforcement posture despite the recent fatalities. The White House has consistently framed such operations as essential for public safety, even as critics call for more restraint and accountability.
The internal guidance to resume traffic stops aligns with Trump’s broader immigration agenda, which has seen a surge in enforcement actions since he took office. As the administration prepares for a primetime address on election integrity amid ongoing budget battles and international tensions, the ICE traffic stop issue underscores the political stakes of immigration policy.
