ICE and Senate react to latest shootings: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to From the Politics Desk. This is a daily newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News political team on the White House, Capitol Hill and election campaigns.

In today’s issue, our national security and politics team delves into the policy and election implications after ICE agents shot and killed two men in recent days. And our legal reporters watched as Supreme Court justices testified before Congress calling for more security funding.

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— Scott Brand

ICE tells officers to stop car pursuit amid commotion after shooting

NBC News’ Julia Ainslie, Laura Strickler, Suzanne Gamboa, Daniela Silva and Nicole Acevedo report that ICE has issued a nationwide order for all officers to stop pursuing people in vehicles, according to two senior and former Homeland Security officials. The move comes after ICE agents shot and killed two men in Maine and Texas within a week.

The suspension is temporary, according to a senior DHS official familiar with the policy change. The official added that ICE is “evaluating the incident to determine what additional training is needed to reduce the negative outcomes we are seeing.” There is no timetable for when the suspension will be lifted.

In both incidents, ICE agents stopped the vehicles and ended up killing the men they were not originally supposed to arrest, local officials said. The two shootings came after the administration increased pressure on immigration officials to step up arrests, officials told NBC News.

Meanwhile, as Democratic candidates for the Senate in Maine rush to condemn the shootings, Republican Sen. Susan Collins called for an investigation and said today that she is in frequent contact with Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin, Sahil Kapoor and Frank Thorpe V’s report.

“I met with Secretary Mullin three times yesterday. In the third meeting, we discussed the fact that it would be prudent for the Department of Homeland Security to suspend non-emergency traffic stops until this issue is resolved,” Collins told reporters. “We are still awaiting the facts of this investigation. We do not know exactly what happened, but we have serious enough questions to warrant a non-emergency traffic stop.”

Senator Angus King (Imain) said he was “extremely” disappointed that the officers involved were not wearing body cameras and said there was “no excuse”.

He said pressure on ICE agents to meet arrest quotas “naturally” contributes to mass shootings like the one in Maine. “Once we find someone that we believe we have reason to arrest or detain, there is pressure to pursue them aggressively,” he said.

Collins said she was unaware that ICE agents were under pressure to make more arrests.

“I would be worried if I knew it was true,” she said. “But I haven’t heard anything like that.”

Judge Barrett speaks about swatting scandal in Congressional testimony

Written by Lawrence Hurley and Gary Grumbach

As the Supreme Court seeks additional funding to combat growing security threats, Justice Amy Coney Barrett today detailed a recent “smashing” incident at her home in Congressional testimony.

Barrett is part of the court’s conservative majority and has appeared alongside liberal Justice Elena Kagan in consecutive hearings of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and the Senate version of that committee.

Judges across the federal judiciary, as well as Supreme Court justices, are increasingly being targeted in “swatting” cases in which false calls are made to police about threats, harassment, or violence at their home address.

In her remarks at a House hearing, Barrett acknowledged details of the incident, which occurred in May at her home in Fairfax County, Virginia.

“One of my teenage sons opened the door to go out with friends and there was a police car full of police cars responding to a false alarm of gunshots, screaming inside,” she said.

“I was very grateful that the Supreme Court police were outside my house. They stopped the county police and interviewed me and explained that it was a false alarm, so the police didn’t actually try to enter the house,” she added.

Judges faced friendly audiences, and members of Congress regularly faced threats and harassment.

“Regardless of one’s view of a particular Supreme Court decision, members of the judiciary, up to and including Supreme Court justices, must be able to do their jobs without fear for their safety or the safety of their families,” said Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), chairman of the House subcommittee.

“Congress must provide adequate funding to ensure the safety of all law enforcement personnel,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the subcommittee’s ranking Democrat.

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That’s all from the political desk for now. Today’s newsletter was edited by Scott Bland and Annelise Hanson.

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