All true, but the ICE agent was gathering evidence (video of the driver's face). To get a clear view of the driver's face in that situation, you need to be in front of the vehicle.Here’s what’s publicly known about how ICE (and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security) trains officers to handle situations involving vehicles — especially regarding not placing themselves in front of one:
1.
General Use-of-Force & Vehicle-Safety Principles
Federal law-enforcement guidance that ICE incorporates (from DOJ and DHS policy) includes several core safety rules relevant to vehicle encounters:
- Agents should not place themselves in the path of a moving vehicle or use their body to block it. That includes not standing directly in front of a vehicle that could move toward them.
- Officers must minimize unnecessary risk and avoid positions where they have “no alternative to using deadly force.”
- Approaching vehicles tactically: ICE training emphasizes approaching vehicles at a “tactical L” — at a 90-degree angle from the side — instead of from the front, so that an approaching vehicle doesn’t have a clear path toward an agent.
- Federal policies generally state firearms should not be fired at a moving vehicle to disable it or simply to prevent escape; deadly force is authorized only if there is a reasonable belief the subject poses an imminent threat of death or serious injury.
2. What the Policies Mean in Practice
Even though the full current ICE “Firearms and Use of Force Handbook” isn’t publicly posted in full, the DHS/DOJ policies that guide ICE’s training include the below key specific directives:
- Avoid front and rear approach: “Agents/Officers should avoid standing directly in front of or behind a subject vehicle.”
- Avoid blocking movement with their bodies: Officers are explicitly discouraged from placing themselves in front of a vehicle’s projected path.
- Use deadly force only when necessary: Deadly force (including shooting at a vehicle’s occupants) is permitted only when there is a reasonable belief that someone is posing an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury — not simply to stop or detain someone.
These aren’t just theoretical phrases — they reflect long-standing federal use-of-force standards that came up again after the recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Experts and critics noted that putting oneself in front of a vehicle runs counter to both federal policy and best law enforcement practices, and training de-emphasizes doing so because it creates unnecessary risk.
3. Context: Why It Matters Now
The topic has been under public scrutiny because:
- In the Minneapolis ICE shooting on January 7, 2026, bystander and official videos showed an ICE agent standing in front of a vehicle right before shots were fired. Critics — including local officials and use-of-force experts — said this contradicted basic law enforcement training about vehicles and risk avoidance.
- Federal policy does allow agents to use deadly force if someone is imminently threatening death or serious injury, but advocates say that being positioned in front of a vehicle — rather than beside it or behind cover — undermines the principles of minimizing risk.
While ICE’s internal manuals aren’t fully public, the relevant portions in the federal use-of-force and tactics guidance that ICE trains to include:
- Tactical vehicle approach doctrine: avoid front approaches; use side (tactical L) angles.
- Vehicle safety in use-of-force: don’t stand directly in the path of a subject vehicle.
- Deadly force limits: only when there’s an imminent threat of death/serious injury — not just to stop or detain someone or disable their vehicle.
The officer trying to open her door and telling her to get out of the car approached from the side.
