US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued new internal guidelines prohibiting high-speed vehicle pursuits by its officers and restricting vehicle stops to personnel who have completed specific training courses. The directive, signed by ICE’s executive associate director Marcos D. Charles and dated October 1, aims to reduce the risks to officers, suspects, passengers, and bystanders following a series of dangerous encounters involving ICE vehicle stops.
The memo, circulated within ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, explicitly states that officers are no longer authorized to engage in car chases when drivers fail to pull over. Instead, agents are instructed to record vehicle details for follow-up investigations. The guidance also mandates that only officers who have finished one of five designated agency training programs may conduct vehicle stops. Those without such training must serve only in support roles inside vehicles and are barred from driving during stops.
Several vehicle safety protocols are also emphasized. Vehicles designated for traffic stops must be equipped with active lights and sirens clearly identifying them as law enforcement. Officers participating in stops are required to wear and activate body cameras to ensure accountability. While the memo permits the continued use of certain enforcement tactics—such as “pinning,” where officers use vehicles or barriers to stop a car, and the deployment of spike strips to deflate tires—these require specialized training before implementation.
The new order comes amid heightened scrutiny following multiple violent incidents during ICE vehicle stops over the past year. Since 2025, officers have discharged firearms during more than a dozen encounters, resulting in at least four fatalities and several injuries. High-profile cases, including fatal shootings in Maine and Texas in July, prompted a temporary suspension of most traffic stops by ICE officers. However, President Donald Trump publicly criticized the pause via social media, asserting that vehicle stops remain one of ICE’s “most important and effective crime fighting tools,” leading to a swift resumption of such operations.
The directive appears in the context of rapidly increasing arrests by ICE, fueled by an expansion in agency personnel over the past year. This rapid growth has raised concerns about the adequacy of officer training and oversight.
The relevance of the new guidance was underscored during a recent bond hearing involving Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, who was shot and wounded in an ICE vehicle stop and pursuit in Austin, Texas, last month. Prosecutors revealed that the officer who fired at Garces Perez was not wearing a body camera, while the officer equipped with one turned off the device during the chase. Surveillance footage showed a high-speed pursuit through residential neighborhoods after Garces Perez fled an initial stop. Garces Perez faces federal assault charges for allegedly striking an ICE agent’s mirror with his vehicle, which led to the shooting incident.
The new ICE memo seeks to enhance safety and professional standards in vehicle stops amid continuing debate over the risks and effectiveness of these enforcement techniques.