Following a series of deadly shootings involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the agency is now mandating that its agents use at least one body camera when conducting vehicle stops. This announcement came from Tom Homan, who was the border security chief under the Trump administration, on Sunday.
“They’ve cleared more officers than they’ve prosecuted. I believe it’s essential for police to wear body cameras so the public can understand what officers experience in the field,” Homan stated on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
This statement followed incidents in which federal immigration officers fatally shot two men within just six days during traffic stops in Texas and Maine. Importantly, there was no body camera footage from the ICE agents involved in these events.
In a separate discussion on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Homan noted that funding for the cameras had been delayed during a recent government shutdown. “The cameras have now been secured,” Homan confirmed. “They’re currently training personnel to distribute the cameras nationwide.”
Traffic Stops Continue
Public concern regarding ICE’s operations has escalated after the agency fatally shot a Colombian driver in Bideford, Maine, on July 13, about 15 miles south of Portland. This incident followed another shooting just six days prior, where a Mexican man was killed by an ICE agent in Houston.
Last week, Homan indicated that the agency would pause most vehicle stops while reviewing their practices. Yet, within a day, President Trump instructed federal immigration officials to resume immigration checks.
The series of shootings has led to protests in places like Maine, Houston, and Boston, highlighting the lack of body cameras among ICE officers.
ICE had begun a pilot program for body cameras in 2024, deploying them to officers in five cities: Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
However, the Trump administration put a hold on the program last year, seeking to slash funding by 75%. In January, reports indicated this massive cut. Following two American deaths during an immigration operation in Minnesota, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to expand the body camera program for ICE agents once funding became available.
Since President Trump resumed mass deportations in January 2025, fulfilling a campaign promise to intensify immigration enforcement, at least seven individuals have been shot and killed during federal immigration operations.
