President Trump on Wednesday said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must continue making traffic stops after reports broke that the agency would stop conducting most vehicle stops for the “foreseeable future.”

BREAKING: ICE Ordered To End Most Vehicle Stops For The “Foreseeable Future”

"The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done. CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades. The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted. Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands. The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job. Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America," he continued.

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More from the Associated Press:

Hours after Trump made his views known, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued his own statement saying people illegally in the country would be “arrested and deported wherever they are.” But Mullin didn’t directly say whether ICE officers will be allowed to carry out traffic stops.

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ICE’s enforcement tactics are coming under renewed criticism after three people died during encounters with federal officers within a week. In Florida, a 28-year-old man was killed Tuesday after he was hit by a tractor trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers, authorities said.

Before that, two motorists were shot and killed by ICE officers — one in Texas last week and another in Maine on Monday.

"If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW. As our officers carry out operations to enforce our nations laws, they are facing a more than 1,300% increase in vehicle attacks," Mullin said.

"We remind illegal aliens attempting to evade arrest is dangerous. This reckless illegal alien activity comes after sanctuary politicians held webinars and shared resources for how to openly defy @ICEgov," he added.

Mullin shared a list of examples:

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted a webinar providing tips for illegal aliens to evade arrests at homes, workplaces, or in public.
  • Dan Goldman posted a video online calling on illegal aliens to make a plan for ICE encounters.
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued multilingual flyers and online resources advising illegal aliens on how to evade arrest.
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom released guides and sanctuary laws advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest.

CNN shared further:

Prominent figures in the MAGA base, including longtime Trump adviser Steve Bannon and conservative lawyer Mike Davis, have excoriated the decision to suspend traffic stops.

“You work for President Trump, you don’t work for Senate Democrats, you don’t work for Susan Collins,” Davis said of Mullin on Bannon’s “War Room” show Wednesday morning. “This guy needs to stop being a wimp, he needs to stop being weak, he needs to stop being stupid. If he’s not up to doing the job, get the h*** out of the job and we’ll put someone there who can.”

The guidance has since been reversed, according to a White House official, marking the latest instance of whiplash for ICE agents as they try to ramp up arrests.

 

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