ICE says all its offices will have body cams in 60 days

Half of all ICE field offices across the U.S. now have body cameras for agents, with the rest expected to get them within 60 days, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Why it matters: Calls for all agents to be outfitted with cameras have accelerated as a series of fatal shootings and other use-of-force incidents have unfolded nationwide.

The big picture: The push for ICE body cameras has been a years-long effort. But pressure for more scrutiny of agents' actions has been particularly strong since agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year and two more people were killed this month in Texas and Maine, where officers weren't wearing cameras.

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered immediate body camera use in Minneapolis in February, pledging to expand the technology nationwide.

Congress then budgeted an extra $20 million for DHS in April to provide body cameras to ICE agents.

Border czar Tom Homan said this week the agency is "moving as quickly as possible" and that "as soon as they had funding they bought them."

ICE first tested the technology in 2021 and by 2024 had deployed 1,600 cameras to agents.

In March, then-ICE director Todd Lyons told Congress that about 3,000 out 13,000 agents had body cameras then, with 6,000 more on the way. He didn't share a breakdown of which field offices had them.

What they're saying: "ICE will ensure each arrest team has an individual wearing a body camera. Ensuring all of our ICE law enforcement officers have body cameras nationwide is a top priority for DHS," an agency spokesperson said.

The agency said the recent federal government shutdowns slowed officials from getting cameras online more quickly.

The other side: Critics say ICE's camera rollout delays are unacceptable amid questions about agents' training and competency.

"I think the blame on the shutdown is just ludicrous. They were given $20 million just for this purpose," Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), who represents the Houston area, said after the ICE shooting there last week. ...