The administration of US President Donald Trump asked officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known by the acronym ICE, to suspend most vehicle stops after they killed two people in two separate shootings within one week, sparking widespread criticism of the law enforcement policies in place.

The administration's retreat from its confrontational law enforcement methods came after an ICE officer shot and killed a Colombian driver last Monday in Maine, a week after another officer shot and killed a car driver in Texas, amid fears of renewed protests that began last winter after two people were killed in Minnesota.

Fears grew Tuesday after another man, 28, was killed when he was hit by a tractor-trailer while fleeing from immigration officers and other security personnel in Florida. The suspension of vehicle stops allows exceptions when executing a criminal arrest warrant or working with partner agencies.

Nevertheless, President Trump stated that ICE should continue traffic stops after the Maine and Texas incidents. He wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: 'We cannot abandon one of the most important and effective crime-fighting tools of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, namely traffic stops, in order to remove criminals from the country!'

A spokesman for Senator Angus King of Maine, Matthew Felling, reported that he had also been informed by the Department of Homeland Security that ICE would suspend stops.

This cautious approach contrasts with the violent and threatening methods that characterized the administration's earlier campaigns in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, as well as the crisis management efforts broadcast on camera by former Secretary Kirsti Noem and border czar Tom Homan after two American citizens were killed in Minnesota. Since then, administration officials have sought to limit controversy ahead of the midterm congressional elections.

Trump's base and some of his advisers objected to this retreat, prompting the White House to renew pressure on the Department of Homeland Security to accelerate the pace of immigrant arrests in recent weeks. The recent deaths have reignited this debate, destabilizing crucial Senate races and escalating Democratic demands for comprehensive reform of immigration enforcement mechanisms.

Conflicting Statements

Hundreds of people protested in Maine on Tuesday against the police killing of Colombian immigrant Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, 25.

The Department of Homeland Security reported that 'out of concern for public safety,' an officer shot and killed Duran Guerrero while officers were monitoring the home of a person believed to be residing in the United States illegally and facing a final deportation order. It explained that when ICE tried to stop a car driven by a person leaving the home, the person tried to flee in the car, and the officer opened fire.

This represents a shift because Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had previously reported that the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his car as a weapon. Maine's congressional delegation demanded that the Trump administration conduct a 'thorough, transparent, and swift investigation.'

Questions surround the shooting of Duran Guerrero, which is at least the ninth time ICE has used lethal force since Trump began his hardline immigration crackdown. An agency spokesman said in a statement: 'We are always evaluating our procedures to ensure the safety of our officers and to remove criminals from our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics.'

Homan stated that the investigation should take its course. He said: 'If officers acted improperly or illegally, they will be held accountable.' The Maine Attorney General's office confirmed its cooperation with federal agencies to investigate the incident.

Electoral Repercussions

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said Mullin informed her that the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General is conducting an investigation in cooperation with the FBI.

The shootings quickly became a central issue in several competitive Democratic primaries, revealing divisions over how far to go in changing immigration policies. Republicans plan to exploit Democratic calls to abolish ICE to portray them as extremists, similar to the 'defund the police' slogan that spread in 2020.

Democrats, seeking to unseat Collins in the midterm congressional elections on November 5, have sought to tie her to ICE's methods, which have drawn public scrutiny and ridicule. Later, Collins stated that while ICE's performance needs improvement, abolishing it would make the country less safe.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is challenging Collins for her seat, described the ICE officers involved in the shooting as 'thugs.' She said during a protest in Lewiston: 'This agency is broken, and we need to return to a time when the rule of law united us all regardless of political affiliation.'