ICE Bans High-Speed Chases And Tightens Rules For Vehicle Stops
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued internal guidance on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, banning agents from high-speed vehicle chases and tightening rules for traffic stops agencywide. PBS News
The memo requires that only officers who have completed one of five specified training courses may conduct vehicle stops; untrained officers may serve only as passengers in a support capacity. PBS News It also mandates that all vehicles used for ICE traffic stops have operational lights and sirens, and that officers wear and activate body cameras during stops. PBS News Special tactics such as vehicle "pinning" and the use of spike strips are now allowed only for officers who receive extra training under the new policy. PBS News The memo was issued the same day court testimony in the September 20, 2026 Austin shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was held. PBS News That testimony said officers did not follow several of the memo's requirements, including continuous body-camera use. PBS News
Since 2025, ICE agents have fired their weapons during more than a dozen ICE-initiated vehicle encounters, killing at least four people and wounding several others, and those incidents prompted internal debate over stop procedures. PBS News
