ICE bans high-speed pursuits and tightens traffic-stop rules
An internal ICE memo obtained by news outlets orders Enforcement and Removal Operations officers not to chase vehicles that fail to pull over, and limits traffic stops to officers who finish specific training after a string of shootings during vehicle encounters.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
The memo, dated Wednesday and signed by ICE executive associate director Marcos D. Charles, says officers are not authorized to engage in vehicle pursuits “under any circumstances” when a driver refuses to stop, the Associated Press and the Washington Examiner reported. Officers are told to record the vehicle’s information and direction for later investigation. Only officers who finish specified ICE training courses may conduct traditional or high-risk vehicle stops; others may assist only as passengers. Field directors must use vehicles with lights and sirens, and officers at stop scenes must wear and activate body cameras. Trained officers may still use pinning or tire-deflation devices under the new rules.
Why it matters
The memo is a concrete limit on pursuits and who may initiate stops after a summer of fatal encounters and White House pressure to keep deportation tools in place. It also tests whether training and camera rules stick as ICE has hired and deployed officers quickly.
What’s next
Watch for any public DHS or ICE clarification, training completion rates for ERO officers, and whether courts or Congress cite the new pursuit ban in cases tied to recent shootings.
More context
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ordered Enforcement and Removal Operations officers not to chase vehicles that fail to pull over, and to limit who may run traffic stops, according to an internal memo obtained by news outlets Thursday.
Why the change: AP said ICE agents have fired guns in more than a dozen vehicle encounters since last year, killing at least four people and wounding others. After fatal shootings in Maine and Texas in July, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin briefly paused most ICE traffic stops. President Donald Trump reversed that pause the next day on Truth Social, calling the traffic stop “one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.”
Agency response: In a statement, ICE said leadership “occasionally” issues “guidance reminders” and that “vehicle stops and arrests of illegal aliens continue.” The Associated Press said ICE and the Department of Homeland Security had no immediate comment when first asked about the memo. ABC News, citing sources familiar with the change, said the new rules do not prohibit vehicle stops and that CNN first reported the training limits.
Austin case: The memo landed the same day as bond-hearing testimony in Austin, Texas, about a September ICE stop and shooting that wounded delivery driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. AP reported the officer who fired was not wearing a body camera, and another officer turned a camera off during the chase. Prosecutors say Garces Perez struck an officer with a side mirror; his attorneys call the charges retaliation.
Uncertainty: US Brief has not seen the memo PDF. How field offices enforce the training gate, and whether pursuits resume under later guidance, is unclear. ICE framed the memo as a reminder, not a ban on stops.
6 listed sources
- Associated Press (Ryan J. Foley), Oct 1, 2026: New ICE guidance bans high-speed car chases and sets tighter rules for traffic stops, a memo shows — via WTOP
- Associated Press via HuffPost (Ryan J. Foley), Oct 1, 2026: New ICE Guidance Reportedly Bans High-Speed Car Chases (includes ICE statement)
- Washington Examiner (Anna Giaritelli), Oct 1, 2026: ICE changes course again in tweaking traffic stop and vehicle pursuit policies
- ABC News (Luke Barr), Oct 1, 2026: ICE sets limits on which officers can stop vehicles
- Fox News (Peter Pinedo), July 16, 2026: Trump’s swift ICE reversal hailed for showing ‘confidence’ in frontline agents
- Sourcing note: AP obtained the Wednesday memo and is the primary wire account; Washington Examiner independently obtained and quoted the same policy language (conservative outlet, equal-credibility confirmation). ABC adds CNN-first-report and Mullin pause context. Fox supplies Trump’s July Truth Social restore and an anonymous agent view. ICE’s on-record line downplays the memo as a ‘guidance reminder’ while saying stops continue. The memo itself is not public.
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Primary: Associated Press (Ryan J. Foley; Anna Wilder in Austin), Oct 1, 2026 — memo dated Wednesday, signed by ICE ERO executive associate director Marcos D. Charles; no pursuits; training, lights/sirens, body-camera rules; pinning/spike strips for trained officers only; July pause/Trump reverse; Austin Garces Perez hearing; “more than a dozen” gun encounters since last year, at least four killed. HuffPost AP reprint includes ICE statement that stops continue. Washington Examiner (Anna Giaritelli), Oct 1, 2026 — same memo text, course list, “under no circumstances” pursuits/PIT ban. ABC News (Luke Barr), Oct 1, 2026 — training/lights limits; CNN first reported; Mullin summer pause; Trump overturned it. Fox News (Peter Pinedo), July 16, 2026 — Trump Truth Social restore and anonymous agent reaction (context). US Brief has not seen the memo PDF.
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