ICE told to halt most vehicle stops after pair of fatal shootings in Maine and Texas

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been told to immediately halt most vehicle stops nationwide, following a pair of fatal shootings in Texas and Maine involving ICE agents.

The suspension will apply to most circumstances except cases involving serious criminal targets, according to US media reports citing unnamed law enforcement sources.

It marks a major policy shift for the agency, which has faced criticism in the past year over allegations of excessive use of force and scrutiny over deaths that have occurred during its operations.

In the most recent incident, an ICE agent fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian national during an immigration enforcement operation in Maine.

DHS said the officer, "fearing for public safety", opened fire on the man when he attempted to flee the scene of the operation and after agents tried to stop his vehicle.

The department did not specify the threat he posed.

The shooting took place in Biddeford, Maine, about 24 km (15 miles) south of Portland.

Immigration advocates have said the man, who has not yet been officially named but identified in US media as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, was authorised to work in the US and had a social security number.

Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine called his death "devastating, enraging, and unacceptable" in a joint statement.

Less than a week earlier, another man -- a Mexican national who had been living in the US for decades -- was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Houston, Texas.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was stopped at 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT) while driving to work and was killed shortly afterwards.

At least seven people have been killed in immigration enforcement operations since January 2025, according to Reuters.