ICE suspends most vehicle stops after fatal Maine shooting as Kamala Harris demands investigation

This article was originally published on Crafting Your Home. A human contributor also wrote and edited the post.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement suspended most vehicle stops nationwide after agents fatally shot two drivers during separate enforcement operations within one week. The temporary order allows exceptions for criminal warrants and operations involving other law enforcement agencies.

The policy change followed the July 13 fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Former Vice President Kamala Harris has since demanded an independent investigation, triggering criticism from conservatives over her record on immigration during the Biden administration.

Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, was shot shortly after 7 a.m. near Pool Street. Federal agents were monitoring a home connected to someone facing a final removal order.

ICE changes vehicle-stop policy

The Trump administration issued the nationwide directive Tuesday after deadly encounters in Maine and Houston. Border czar Tom Homan described the suspension as temporary while federal officials review ICE’s vehicle-stop procedures.

The order does not fully prohibit officers from stopping vehicles. Agents may continue stops while serving criminal warrants or working with state, local, or federal partners.

The policy shift signals concern about the risks surrounding vehicle-based immigration operations. Such encounters can escalate quickly when agents use unmarked vehicles, approach armed, or block a driver’s path.

The Maine shooting followed the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston six days earlier. Federal officials said he attempted to drive toward agents during a stop. He also was not the person officers initially sought.

Shooting followed Biddeford surveillance.

Federal agents were watching an address linked to a person with a final order to leave the United States. They followed a vehicle that left the property and attempted to stop it. The Department of Homeland Security said the driver tried to flee. An officer opened fire after perceiving a threat to public safety.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Maine Sen. Angus King that Durán Guerrero had used his vehicle as a weapon. Federal officials later confirmed he was not the intended target of the immigration operation.

Investigators have not released a complete recording of the confrontation. Available footage shows Durán Guerrero’s white Kia moving through an intersection as officers ran nearby.

Images taken afterward showed several bullet holes in the windshield. Those photographs do not establish the officer’s position, the vehicle’s speed or the sequence leading to the gunfire.

Harris demands accountability

Harris said Durán Guerrero should still be alive and called for an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation. She said anyone found responsible for wrongdoing must face accountability. Her statement also referred to Durán Guerrero’s 3-year-old daughter. Harris said the child witnessed the shooting while wearing Bluey pajamas.

Publicly available information does not establish exactly what the child saw. Neighbors and immigration advocates have said Durán Guerrero’s wife and daughter witnessed the immediate aftermath.

Conservative critics responded by focusing on Harris’s immigration record. Several blamed the Biden administration for increased unauthorized border crossings and accused Harris of defending people who endangered federal officers.

Others cited crimes committed by migrants living in the country illegally. Some referenced the 2024 killing of nursing student Laken Riley, whose death led Congress to pass legislation expanding mandatory detention for certain migrants accused of crimes.

Harris led diplomatic efforts to address migration from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador during the Biden administration. She did not supervise ICE or manage daily border operations, although Republicans frequently called her the administration’s “border czar.”

Accounts remain under review.

A witness said he saw the Kia move toward an