Two Men Killed in Shooting, U.S. Immigration Agency Said to Halt Vehicle Interception

JAKARTA - Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, is reported to have stopped the practice of intercepting vehicles that were speeding to arrest immigrants. The move was said to have been taken after two men were killed in two immigration enforcement operations with a gap of about a week.

Anadolu Agency, quoted Wednesday, July 15, reported this information based on a report by the Wall Street Journal citing active and former ICE officials. The head of the agency is said to have ordered officers to no longer stop vehicles with passengers to make arrests or question their passengers.

The method was previously an important part of efforts to meet the government's daily arrest target.

The report comes a day after a federal officer shot and killed a 26-year-old man in Biddeford, Maine. The shooting occurred during an operation related to a deportation order.

The US Department of Homeland Security said officers opened fire because they feared for the safety of the public.

A week earlier, a man was also killed in a similar operation in Houston, Texas.

An ICE spokesperson did not directly confirm the policy change.

"We are always evaluating procedures to keep officers safe and keep criminals off the streets," an ICE spokesperson said in a Wall Street Journal report.

The report also said ICE would require its arrest teams to wear body cameras. The agency plans to update its de-escalation training for officers.

Deescalation is a way to defuse tense situations so that they do not develop into clashes or violence.