The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday that every U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest team will be required to have at least one officer equipped with a body-worn camera. The policy change follows two recent fatal shootings by agents who were not recorded on camera.
The two incidents occurred in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine, involving a Mexican national and a Colombian national, respectively. In both cases, DHS stated the individuals were not the intended targets of the operations and were shot during vehicle stops. Following these events, ICE has temporarily suspended most vehicle stops nationwide pending further officer training.
The DHS attributed delays in the body camera rollout to funding lapses during a recent partial government shutdown. While the Trump administration initially proposed reducing funding for the program, Congress ultimately approved $20 million for DHS body cameras in April. Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Sylvia Garcia, have criticized the pace of implementation, stating that sufficient funds have been established.
Acting ICE Director David Venturella reportedly informed lawmakers that all field agents will have access to body-worn cameras by the end of July. DHS stated that over half of ICE field offices have already received the equipment, with the remainder scheduled for deployment within 60 days.