Tom Homan, border czar of the Trump administration, stated this Tuesday that the temporary suspension of vehicle controls by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not halt the mass deportation policy promoted by the White House.
"I am tired of reading that the administration has lost its value with mass deportations," declared Homan to reporters at the White House, as noted by The Daily Signal.
The official insisted that the pause is solely for the safety of the agents and does not signify a change in the migration strategy.
"It is not a change in policy; it is a temporary pause. It is a brief pause to ensure that we are doing the right thing," he later stated in an interview with Fox News.
According to his explanation, ICE agents have other alternatives for making arrests without resorting to detentions during traffic stops.
"There are options. You wait until it reaches the destination and make the arrest. I'm not saying this is a cornerstone of what we do," he pointed out.
Homan claims record figures
The border czar defended the effectiveness of Trump's immigration policy, claiming that June 2026 was the month with the highest number of foreign arrests in ICE history, even surpassing joint operations with the FBI, the DEA, the ATF, and the Border Patrol.
"Once we received the funding, the numbers soared, just as President Trump promised the American people," he stated.
He also attributed the temporary decrease in deportations noted between mid-February and the end of April to the closure of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which he stated lasted for about 75 days, the longest in the agency's history.
The pause after two shootings
The suspension of vehicle checkpoints was ordered by Secretary of National Security, Markwayne Mullin, after two ICE operations resulted in the deaths of immigrants in less than a week.
The first incident occurred on July 7 in Houston, Texas, where an officer shot and killed 52-year-old Mexican Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a traffic stop.
The second incident took place on Monday in Biddeford, Maine, when agents shot the Colombian Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26 years old, who had a valid work permit and, as confirmed later by the Department of Homeland Security, was not even the target of the operation.
According to ABC News, Mullin decided to temporarily suspend this type of intervention after speaking with Republican Senator from Maine Susan Collins.
More attacks against agents
Homan justified the review of the protocols by stating that vehicle attacks against ICE agents have increased by 3,400%, prompting the agency to strengthen protective measures.
"I believe that what they are doing is taking a breather to ensure that ICE agents have everything they need to stay safe," she stated.
Regarding the criticism over the absence of body cameras in recent operations, the official explained that their implementation was delayed due to the government shutdown, although he assured that the DHS has already acquired the equipment thanks to a $20 million allocation approved in April and that there is a schedule for their distribution.
When asked how long the vehicle controls will remain suspended, Homan replied that he hopes the measure will be brief.
"I would think that in a couple of weeks we would be back in operation," he concluded.
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