The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the first portion of its field agents is being equipped with bodycams following a White House executive order.
The agency said the first 1,600 bodycams are being issued to the men and women of its two law-enforcement divisions—the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
“Public trust is dependent on transparency, and our ability to effectively conduct our mission is dependent on public trust,” Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Patrick J. Lechleitner said in a statement.
“The deployment of body-worn cameras to our officers and agents assists in building that public trust through transparency and accountability,” Mr. Lechleitner added, calling the measure “an essential element in our public safety and national security mission.”
The 1,600 bodycams will be issued to ERO officers and HSI investigators in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, Buffalo, and Detroit. They will also receive “specific training,” the agency said.
In January, ICE updated its internal policy on body-worn cameras, which calls for the use of bodycams in all aspects of pre-planned ICE enforcement activities, with the exception of certain investigative activities.
The agency gave a non-exhaustive list of examples when bodycams are to be used: during at-large arrests; brief investigatory detentions, including frisks; executing arrest warrants, search or seizure warrants, and in-person issuance of subpoenas; and interactions with members of the public while conducting their job in the field.
“Body worn cameras will not be used for the sole purpose of recording individuals engaged in First Amendment activity,” the agency added.
Currently, ICE does not have the resources to issue cameras to all ICE law enforcement personnel. The agency said it was working to secure the resources required to ensure full implementation of the new policy.
The policy was largely developed through DHS’s Law Enforcement Coordination Council, a forum that allows the Department’s nine law enforcement agencies and offices to collaborate on law enforcement issues, with the input of “stakeholders” across the Department, such as experts from the Offices of Strategy, Policy, and Plans; Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; General Counsel; and Privacy.
ICE said the police were updated to meet the requirements of President Joe Biden’s May 25, 2022, executive order “on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety.”
The president called the executive order “a critical step in what must be part of a larger effort to strengthen our democracy and advance the principles of equality and dignity.”
