The administration of US President Donald Trump has asked officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to suspend most vehicle stops after they killed two people in two separate shootings within one week, sparking a wave of criticism against the agency's law enforcement policies.

The administration's retreat from its confrontational law enforcement tactics 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 increased Tuesday after another man, aged 28, was killed when a trailer truck struck him as he fled from immigration officers and other security personnel in Florida. The suspension of vehicle stops allows for 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 ICE's most important and effective crime-fighting tools, namely traffic stops, for the purpose of removing criminals from the country!'

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

This measured approach contrasts with the violent and intimidating tactics characteristic of previous administration campaigns in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, as well as the crisis management efforts broadcast on camera by former Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan after the killing of two American citizens in Minnesota. Since then, administration officials have sought to limit controversy ahead of the congressional midterm 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, unsettling crucial Senate races and amplifying Democratic demands for comprehensive reform of interior 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 years old).

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 in the United States illegally and facing a final deportation order. It explained that when ICE tried to stop a car driven by someone leaving the home, the person attempted to flee in the vehicle, and the officer opened fire.

This marks a shift because Homeland Security Secretary Marco Mole had previously stated that the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his car as a weapon. The Maine congressional delegation called on the Trump administration to conduct a 'thorough, transparent, and swift investigation.'

Questions surround the Duran Guerrero shooting, which is at least the ninth time ICE has used lethal force since Trump began his tough immigration campaign. A spokesperson for the agency said in a statement: 'We are always evaluating our procedures to ensure the safety of our officers and to keep criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement methods.'

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 in investigating the incident.

Electoral repercussions

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said Mole told her that the DHS 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 expand changes to immigration policy. Republicans intend 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 congressional midterm elections on November 5 next, have tried to link her to ICE tactics, 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 running for Collins' seat, described the ICE officers involved in the shooting as 'thugs.' She said during a vigil 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.'