ICE has been told to end most vehicle stops after a pair of fatal shootings in Maine and Texas.

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

US media cited unnamed law enforcement sources as saying the ban would apply in most cases, except for cases involving serious criminal targets.

It marks a major policy shift for the agency, which has been criticized over the past year for high-profile crackdowns and deaths on the job.

The BBC has contacted the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment on the new policy.

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

A DHS official said “out of fear for public safety” the man attempted to flee the scene of the operation and opened fire after agents attempted to stop the vehicle.

The department did not disclose the threat.

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

Immigration advocates said the man, who has not yet been named, was authorized to work in the U.S. and had a Social Security number.

Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition and Presentation! Maine called the death “devastating, outrageous and unacceptable” in a joint statement.

Less than a week later, another man — a Mexican citizen who had lived in the United States for decades — was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Houston, Texas.

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

DHS said Thursday that the stop was triggered by the sighting of a “white van with an individual who appeared to be the target.” The officer was shot in self-defense and Araujo is not the man the ICC is looking for, he said.

Passengers in the car and the victims’ families have been disputing the department’s accounts, and the agency’s legal watchdog has opened an investigation into the fatal shooting.

Both shootings in Maine and Texas have been met with protests.

It follows protests across the country following the deaths of 37-year-old American citizens Renee Goode and Alex Pretty, who were shot and killed by ICE agents during a raid in Minneapolis in January.

US President Donald Trump later replaced Kristy Nom as Homeland Security with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. Former border guard commander Grigory Bovino was replaced soon after.

Shortly after Trump returned to the White House, he launched his massive campaign promise of mass deportations.

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