After two fatal shootings involving suspects in cars driving away to elude capture, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are now being ordered not to chase or stop illegals in their moving vehicles.
Most ICE apprehensions begin by searching the suspected alien’s residence, but the illegals, sensing or seeing their approach, often just hop in their cars and speed away. So the new policy represents a major shift — and hurdle — for field agents.
In the past, ICE agents would stop or pursue the vehicles to apprehend for deportation any illegal they found. Now, what? Follow their vehicles and hope they run out of gas first?
The policy shift comes on the heels of two incidents of aliens trying to flee in their vehicles when agents came to their location to apprehend them. One incident happened last week in Houston, and just this week, a similar shooting of a fleeing alien took place in Biddeford, Maine.
The Wall Street Journal attempted to verify the policy shift but got only a vague response from a department official: “We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets.”
The new policy, when agents are faced with a suspect fleeing in a vehicle, is a version of “hurry up and wait.” Wait until you can find the person without a nearby car to escape in.
