ICE Sets New Limits On Car Chases And Vehicle Stops, Which They'll Certainly Follow At All Times

ICE has a history of conducting traffic stops and high-speed car chases that put communities at risk for the sake of immigration enforcement. Well, good news, everyone! An ICE internal memo has placed new restrictions on vehicle stops, and and banned high-speed pursuits entirely, reports the Associated Press. ICE officers will undoubtedly obey these new requirements to the letter, exactly the same way they've been obeying orders to use body cameras.

The guidance follows up on July's order to temporarily suspend traffic stops in the wake of the killings of Lorenzo Sagrado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, neither of whom were even suspects. Naturally, President Donald Trump promptly overturned this pause to continue his crusade against the worst of the worst, like innocent workers at a new Hyundai facility or people who follow ICE agents.

The need for some guidance and limits still exists, as demonstrated by the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in his car on September 20. This may be what inspired ICE Executive Associate Director Marcos D. Charles to send the memo 10 days later. It expressly forbids ICE from chasing vehicles that refuse to pull over. Officers are directed to instead record the vehicle's information for further investigation, as law enforcement should do for all but the most dangerous criminals. It's not worth putting the public in danger just because a visitor with no criminal record overstayed their visa.

The memo also puts some stipulations on traffic stops where the suspect doesn't run. ICE vehicles must be equipped with lights and sirens, identifying them as law enforcement rather than random rental cars with swapped license plates. Lights and sirens already were required, but clearly this remains a problem. 

Also, only officers who have completed one of several specific training courses may initiate the stops. And only officers trained in pinning, which is "using a vehicle or physical barrier to trap or stop a car," or in using spike strips are allowed to implement those particular techniques. Other officers, who lack any of this training, may still participate, but only "in a support capacity." They also may not drive any of the vehicles involved. All officers are also required to wear and use a body camera, though that's also already required, and we see how well that's going.

It also sounds good on paper. Police chases are dangerous, and even traffic stops are more dangerous than they have to be. It makes sense to have some training in performing them, though I do question why completing only one out of five (per AP) or six (per CNN) courses is required. Why not more? For that matter, why not all of them?

It probably doesn't matter anyway, because ICE is downplaying its own memo's significance. From CNN:

An ICE spokesperson denied in a statement that the guidance was new, saying: "Occasionally, ICE leadership issues guidance reminders to law enforcement officers." The spokesperson maintained that vehicle stops will continue and the memo "makes no changes to how ICE conducts vehicle stops."

So it seems the beatings will continue until morale improves. I'm sure ICE officers will remember to turn their body cameras on this time.