ICE Suspends Traffic Stops Nationwide Following Fatal Shootings in Texas and Maine

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has suspended nationwide vehicle stops for immigration enforcement following two fatal shootings of non-target drivers in Maine and Texas. On July 13, 2026, agents killed 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, just six days after agents shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. The suspension marks a major policy shift amid rising protests, investigations, and scrutiny over the lack of agent body cameras.

ICE traffic stop suspension

• ▪The suspension of vehicle stops applies to most circumstances except cases involving serious criminal targets
• ▪U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement suspended vehicle stops related to immigration enforcement nationwide on July 14, 2026, following two fatal shootings by agents
• ▪ICE leadership instructed officers not to stop moving vehicles to arrest or question the occupants inside, eliminating a common tool for immigration arrests

Biddeford shooting incident

• ▪The Maine attorney general's office is investigating the Biddeford shooting alongside local, state, and federal authorities
• ▪An ICE officer fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian driver, identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, on July 13, 2026, in Biddeford, Maine
• ▪The Colombian driver killed in Biddeford was authorized to work in the U.S. and was not the target of the ICE operation
• ▪The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated the officer in Biddeford opened fire because the driver attempted to flee and the officer feared for public safety

Houston shooting incident

• ▪ICE stated Lorenzo Salgado Araujo rammed a law enforcement vehicle and tried to run down an officer, but passengers in the van and his family dispute this account
• ▪Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not the target of the Houston operation, and ICE's legal watchdog has opened an investigation into the shooting
• ▪An ICE agent in Houston fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, during a traffic stop on July 8, 2026

ICE enforcement surge in Maine

• ▪ICE arrests in Maine more than quadrupled since the beginning of June 2026, rising above 70 daily in early July 2026
• ▪At least seven people have been shot dead during immigration enforcement operations since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025

Body camera accountability concerns

• ▪The lack of body camera footage leaves unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting in Biddeford
• ▪U.S. Senator Angus King stated that the ICE agents involved in the Biddeford, Maine shooting were not wearing body cameras