Tipsheet

President Trump Just Overruled DHS on ICE Traffic Stops

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  July 15, 2026 10:45 AM

President Trump just reversed the latest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) directive. 

Earlier this week, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, personally issued a directive halting all non-critical traffic stops for immigration enforcement following a series of fatal officer-involved shootings. The goal was to continue the mission of deporting illegal aliens while simultaneously protecting the lives of ICE agents, American citizens, and illegal aliens alike. 

The president, however, described the move as “playing right into the criminal’s hands,” and a policy “The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see.” He went on to say, “we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.”

"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. 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!" the president wrote on Truth Social. "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. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."

It remains unclear whether ICE will resume traffic stops immediately or whether the president will speak with Markwayne Mullin to ensure he reverses the directive himself. It is also unclear if the agency will be reviewing and possibly changing how it approaches stops moving forward. 

"Our #1 goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals OFF our streets," Secretary Mullin wrote on X. "Illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are. 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. We remind illegal aliens attempting to evade arrest is dangerous."

Traffic stops have accounted for roughly between 10 and 20 percent of all deportations by ICE.