DHS Orders Immediate Body Camera Use for Minneapolis Immigration Agents Amid Public Backlash
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Monday that every immigration officer currently deployed in Minneapolis will be required to wear a body camera.
Kristi Noem announces mandatory body cameras for Minneapolis immigration officers, citing accountability concerns and outlining plans for national expansion.
According to Ms. Noem, the directive is effective immediately. She also said the Department of Homeland Security intends to extend the body camera program across the United States as soon as funding becomes available. In a social media statement, she pledged rapid acquisition and deployment of the devices for DHS law enforcement nationwide.
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The announcement comes after growing outrage from the public and lawmakers over the aggressive strategies used by federal agents in carrying out President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. These concerns were intensified by conflicting official accounts of deadly shootings involving federal officers, which in some cases differed from reports by local authorities and evidence captured on video by witnesses.
In one such incident, ICE officers fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis last month. Federal officials claimed she attempted to run over officers and that the shooting was an act of self-defense. State and local officials disputed that narrative, and a New York Times review of the footage available found no sign that the officer had been struck.
Some federal officers in Minnesota had already been equipped with body cameras prior to the announcement. After federal agents killed Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen, DHS officials said footage from multiple body cameras existed and would be examined as part of the investigation.
An initial review conducted by the internal watchdog office of Customs and Border Protection, relying on body camera recordings and agency documents, determined that Mr. Pretti was shot after resisting arrest. The review did not support claims that he brandished a weapon, despite earlier statements from Ms. Noem suggesting otherwise. Shortly after the incident, DHS officials had alleged that Mr. Pretti intended to inflict maximum harm on law enforcement.
A separate analysis by The New York Times of videos recorded by witnesses indicated that Mr. Pretti, who held a firearms permit, appeared to be unarmed before he was killed. To date, federal authorities have not released any body camera footage from the shooting.
Ms. Noem said the decision to implement the policy followed conversations with Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, as well as the directors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Speaking Monday, President Trump said the decision was not made by him, but he added that body cameras are generally helpful for law enforcement because they reduce the possibility of dishonesty about what occurred.
Members of both political parties have shown willingness to fund the initiative. Last month, the House passed a spending measure that would allocate $20 million for body cameras for federal immigration officers after Democrats pushed for limits on ICE. Despite that progress, lawmakers have yet to finalize a funding agreement for the Department of Homeland Security as Democrats continue to seek a broader overhaul.
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