ICE told to halt most vehicle stops after pair of fatal shootings

ICE told to halt most vehicle stops after pair of fatal shootings To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, ByNadine YousifPublished9 minutes agoUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been told to immediately halt most vehicle stops nationwide, following a pair of fatal shootings in Texas and Maine involving ICE agents.The suspension will apply to most circumstances except cases involving serious criminal targets, according to US media reports citing unnamed law enforcement sources.It marks a major policy shift for the agency, which has faced criticism in the past year over allegations of excessive use of force and scrutiny over deaths that have occurred during its operations.The BBC has contacted the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment on the new policy.In the most recent incident, an ICE agent fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian national during an immigration enforcement operation in Maine.DHS said the officer, "fearing for public safety", opened fire on the man when he attempted to flee the scene of the operation and after agents tried to stop his vehicle.The department did not specify the threat he posed.The shooting took place in Biddeford, Maine, about 24 km (15 miles) south of Portland.Immigration advocates have said the man, who has not yet been officially named, was authorised to work in the US and had a social security number. Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine called his death "devastating, enraging, and unacceptable" in a joint statement.Less than a week earlier, another man - a Mexican national who had been living in the US for decades - was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Houston, Texas.Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was stopped at 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT) while driving to work and was killed shortly afterwards.DHS said last Thursday the stop was initiated because they saw "a white van with an in...