Key facts
- ICE will require officers to record vehicle stops with at least one body camera.
- The policy change follows recent fatal shootings of two men during traffic stops by ICE officers.
- Body cameras have been purchased and training for nationwide deployment is in progress.
- President Donald Trump directed federal immigration agents to resume vehicle stops after a temporary suspension.
- An ICE body-camera pilot program was launched in 2024 in five cities.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will mandate that its officers use body cameras during vehicle stops, according to former Trump administration border czar Tom Homan. This decision comes in the wake of multiple fatal shootings involving ICE officers during traffic stops earlier this month. Homan stated on 'Fox & Friends Weekend' that the cameras have been purchased and training is underway for nationwide deployment, emphasizing that they can exonerate law enforcement.
The agency's tactics faced renewed scrutiny after an ICE officer fatally shot a driver from Colombia in Maine on July 13, six days after another ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican national in Houston. These incidents, which occurred without body-camera footage from the ICE agents involved, sparked protests and raised questions about the agency's use of force.
Following the shootings, ICE had temporarily suspended most vehicle stops nationwide to review procedures. However, President Donald Trump directed federal immigration agents to resume these stops within 24 hours of Homan's comments. The body camera program had seen previous delays, with funding being held up during a government shutdown and the Trump administration having previously urged Congress to cut funding for it. ICE had initiated a pilot program in 2024, deploying cameras to officers in Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.