DHS pledged body cams for all immigration agents. Months later, that hasn't happened
Despite a pledge to equip all immigration agents with body cameras following fatal shootings, the Department of Homeland Security has yet to fully implement the program. Officials cite funding constraints as the primary reason for the delay, while advocates emphasize the need for accountability.
Why it matters
The delay in body camera deployment impacts public trust and the ability to investigate law enforcement misconduct in high-stakes immigration encounters.
Shortly after immigration agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January, the Department of Homeland Security vowed to quickly deploy body cameras for officers across the country. But nearly six months later, those plans have not fully materialized.
In recent days, federal immigration agents fatally shot two immigrant fathers. DHS accused Lorenzo Salgado Araujo of weaponizing his car and trying to run over an agent in Texas, while the agency accused Joan Durán Guerrero of being a public safety threat while attempting to flee in Maine.
None of the federal officers involved were wearing body cameras, the agency said.
This has prompted lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to renew their calls on DHS to deploy body cameras as soon as possible.
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