By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced July 20 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has purchased body cameras for officers and is conducting training on deployment policies, with rollout targeted for “as soon as possible.”
- All ICE vehicle stops will be required to have at least one officer wearing an operational body camera, with cameras mandated to remain active for the entire duration of each stop.
- The announcement follows two fatal ICE vehicle stop shootings that occurred within a week and the agency’s temporary suspension of most vehicle stops pending officer training review.
- Homan stated no additional policy changes beyond the body camera deployment and mandatory recording requirement are planned for ICE operations.
- Homan also addressed ongoing investigations into officer-involved shootings and refuted reporting that the FBI would cease involvement in ICE officer-involved shooting investigations.
WASHINGTON — White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has procured body cameras for officers and is presently conducting training on policy implementation, with deployment expected at the earliest practicable timeframe.
Homan stated to White House reporters that cameras have been purchased and that ICE training specialists are currently conducting training-of-trainers sessions on camera deployment policy. When questioned regarding deployment timeline, Homan responded that the agency would implement the rollout “as soon as possible, if I had it my way.”
Under the announced deployment protocol, all ICE vehicle stops will be required to include at least one officer equipped with an operational body camera. Officers will be mandated to keep cameras activated throughout the complete duration of each vehicle stop.
The body camera announcement comes after President Donald Trump expressed opposition to an ICE policy suspending most vehicle stops. ICE had implemented the temporary suspension to allow officers to undergo enhanced vehicle stop training following two fatal officer-involved shootings occurring within a seven-day period.
Homan stated that no other operational policy changes are planned beyond the body camera deployment and mandatory recording requirements.
Homan also addressed questions regarding ongoing federal investigations into ICE officer-involved shootings. Homan refuted a recent New York Times article reporting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation would discontinue involvement in investigative processes related to ICE officer-involved shooting incidents.