Inside Trump’s Reversal on ICE
President Trump reversed a directive from his own administration to suspend ICE vehicle stops after facing intense pressure from right-wing media and MAGA influencers. The initial suspension was implemented following a fatal shooting by an ICE officer in Maine.
Why it matters
This highlights the significant influence of the MAGA base and right-wing media on executive decision-making within the Trump administration.
Attacks from immigration hard-liners had the president worried about looking weak.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Getty; Daniel Torok / The White House. July 15, 2026, 5:57 PM ET Share Save Listen − 1.0 x + Seek 0:00 7:11 President Trump woke up this morning with an urgent message for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers deployed on U.S. streets: They were to pay no mind to the internal memo, issued barely a day earlier, telling them to suspend vehicle stops amid a public outcry over two fatal shootings by ICE officers in less than a week. Trump was issuing his own orders.
“We CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!,” the president wrote on his Truth Social network. “Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in