Overview
- An internal memo signed by ERO executive associate director Marcos D. Charles, issued Wednesday, directs that only Enforcement and Removal Operations officers who have completed designated ICE training may lead traditional or high-risk vehicle stops and that officers must activate body-worn cameras and use lights and sirens.
- The guidance bars vehicle pursuits when drivers fail to yield and tells officers to record vehicle and occupant details for later investigation instead of chasing fleeing cars.
- High-risk tactics such as vehicle pinning and tire-deflation devices are limited to officers who have completed special, specified training; officers without those courses may serve only in support roles and cannot drive stop vehicles.
- The memo arrives after a string of ICE-initiated stops that escalated into shootings and follows a summer pause ordered by DHS that President Donald Trump publicly reversed, with reporting noting gaps in training, camera use and previous verbal guidance.
- ICE spokespeople have said the memo makes no operational changes, while news outlets report differing lists and numbers of required courses; enforcement, training capacity and outside oversight are now the key questions that will determine whether the rules change field practice.