US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has instructed agents across the country to temporarily suspend most routine vehicle stops following two fatal shootings involving officers in Texas and Maine. The directive, first reported on Tuesday, is described by officials as a temporary safety measure while the agency reviews its enforcement tactics, but it's not a change to its immigration policy.
The suspension applies to most vehicle stops unless agents are pursuing serious criminal suspects. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to discuss operational tactics, saying only that it is 'always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets'.
