The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disclosed Tuesday that about half of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers nationwide have yet to be equipped with body cameras, following recent fatal shootings involving agents who were not wearing the devices. The agency said that body cameras have been deployed in over half of ICE field offices, with plans to complete distribution within the next 60 days.
The announcement comes amid renewed scrutiny of ICE’s delayed body camera rollout. Earlier this year, after federal immigration agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to expedite the acquisition and deployment of body cameras across ICE. Despite that commitment, the agency revealed that none of the officers involved in separate recent shootings, including one in Biddeford, Maine, were equipped with body cameras.
The slow pace of deployment has sparked a partisan dispute over responsibility for the delay. A DHS spokesperson cited a congressional funding bill passed last month as providing “historic funding” for resources like body cameras, referencing an additional $70 billion allocated for immigration enforcement over several years. The statement also attributed setbacks to the 76-day government shutdown earlier this year, which was triggered by disagreements over ICE policies. The shutdown began in mid-February after Democrats resisted fully funding the department without new restrictions such as requiring agents to unmask during operations and obtain warrants for home entries.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, criticized the absence of body cameras on agents involved in the recent Maine shooting and blamed Democratic lawmakers for the delay, asserting that the shutdown interrupted the procurement and issuance process. “It is extremely unfortunate that an agent involved in the shooting was not wearing a body camera,” Collins said in a social media post.
Democratic lawmakers, however, challenged that characterization. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, pointed to the substantial federal funding ICE received as part of a domestic policy bill Republicans passed last summer, arguing that there was sufficient money to deploy cameras nationwide. She also noted that Congress approved $20 million in April specifically for expanding body camera use.
Murray dismissed claims that the government shutdown was responsible for the delay, calling such assertions “completely absurd.” She contended that the primary issue lies with the prior administration’s failure to implement accountability measures, including quick deployment of body cameras and proper agent training. “The problem has not been funding; ICE has more money than most modern militaries,” she said.
As the debate continues, ICE officials maintain that the agency is on track to fully equip officers with body cameras in the near future, emphasizing that video footage is crucial for transparency and investigations of enforcement actions.