Donald Trump defended ICE traffic stops on Wednesday after the DHS announced it was suspending roadside and street checks following 2 deaths. One of the dead was Joan Sebastián Durán, a 26-year-old Colombian man who died in Maine after being shot by an ICE agent.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that ICE could not give up one of its most important and effective crime-fighting tools. He also said the continuation would not happen under his watch, putting his public position at odds with the suspension announced by the DHS.
Joan Sebastián Durán in Maine
Joan Sebastián Durán died on Monday after, according to agents, he tried to flee and they felt in danger. Gustavo Petro called the death “asesinato.” The other fatal case involved a Mexican man who had lived for years in Houston, Texas, and died last week in another ICE-related incident.
The DHS said it had opened internal investigations into both cases. That matters for ICE agents and for immigrants stopped in traffic because the agency had just paused roadside and street checks when Trump publicly demanded that they continue.
Todd Blanche and the investigations
Todd Blanche told a Senate hearing on Tuesday, “Espero que esas investigaciones sean conducidas de la misma manera que otras investigaciones de ese tipo, y eso necesariamente implica trabajar con policías estatales y locales.” His comments pointed to a process that can extend beyond the federal agency itself and into cooperation with state and local police.
That sequence is now the policy reality: the DHS suspended the checks after 2 deaths, Trump backed the tactic anyway, and the internal reviews are still under way. The immediate question is what the DHS decides after those investigations, because that decision will set the terms for whether the roadside stops stay paused or return in full.
Trump on Truth Social
Trump’s post used two lines in Spanish: “No podemos renunciar a una de las herramientas contra el crimen más importantes y efectivas de I.C.E.: ¡Los controles de tráfico!” and “A la Izquierda Radical 'Dumócrata' le gustaría que esto sucediera, pero no ocurrirá bajo mi vigilancia.” Gustavo Petro’s reaction, the DHS suspension, and the Senate hearing all landed within the same week, leaving the dispute centered on how ICE should operate while the investigations continue.
