Donald Trump published a message in recent hours on his social media platform Truth Social demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resume trafficking arrests.
The stance of the U.S. president directly contradicts the decision announced just a day earlier by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to temporarily suspend that practice following a series of deadly shootings.
The publication came hours after the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, ordered a pause on vehicle inspections nationwide, a measure that the President himself has publicly disavowed.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump unapologetically defended ICE agents and rejected any limitations on their operations.
"The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that needs to be done. CRIME HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE UNITED STATES, in many cases with figures not seen in decades," he wrote
The leader attributed the presence of criminals in the country to his Democratic predecessor.
"The open borders policy of sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25 million people to enter our country without control or verification. Many were criminals, and we need to expel them," he asserted.
Next, Trump went straight to rejecting the suspension:
"To achieve this, we must be strong, steadfast, and intelligent, and we CANNOT give up one of the most important and effective tools of ICE to combat crime: TRAFFICKING DETENTION! If we do, we will be playing into the hands of the criminals."
The president also launched a political attack against the opposition: "The radical left Democrats would like this to happen, but it won't occur as long as I am in charge."
Finally, he directed a direct message to the agents:
"ICE, be judicious, fair, and intelligent, and return to doing your very important work. Continue publishing those crime statistics records! Remember, you are loved and respected in the United States."
The chain of deaths that triggered the suspension
The DHS's decision to pause vehicle checks was a consequence of three deaths in less than two weeks during immigration operations.
On July 7, ICE agents shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican who had lived in the United States for almost three decades, mistakenly believing he was the target of an operation.
Six days later, an agent shot Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian with a valid work permit who was not the target of the operation, in Biddeford, Maine. According to a witness, his last words were: "I tried to stop."
This Wednesday, a third case in Florida was reported: a 28-year-old man was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer near St. Augustine while fleeing on foot from ICE agents.
Since the beginning of Trump's mass deportation campaign, at least 10 people have died during immigration operations, at least four of which involved individuals in vehicles.
Criticism from Congress and international reactions
The Republican senator Susan Collins urged Secretary Mullin to "cease all non-urgent vehicle detentions," while the independent senator Angus King called for a completely independent investigation and noted that 90% of those arrested in Maine during last winter had no criminal records.
The government of Mexico announced criminal complaints in the United States for the death of 17 of its nationals during ICE operations, and the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, referred to the death of Durán Guerrero as "murder."
The border czar Tom Homan described the suspension as a "brief pause" and assured that vehicle checks would resume "in a couple of weeks," according to a report by the Associated Press.
Homan also revealed that vehicle attacks against ICE agents have increased by 3,400% during the immigration offensive.
He also said that the DHS has already approved 20 million dollars to implement body cameras, although their distribution had not yet been completed at the time of the shootings.
A pattern that concerns experts
John Sandweg, former acting director of ICE during the Obama administration, estimated that approximately 18 shootings occurred during traffic stops as part of Trump's immigration crackdown.
Security experts have been warning for decades that shooting at moving vehicles is inherently dangerous and should almost always be avoided, a warning that contrasts with the narrative repeated by federal agents that they opened fire because the vehicles posed a threat.
The mortality rate under ICE custody reached 88.9 deaths per 100,000 detainees in fiscal year 2026, the highest level in 22 years, while the debate over mass deportations shows no signs of moderation.
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