Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis gets a body-worn camera, Noem says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every Homeland Security officer on the ground in Minneapolis, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, will immediately be equipped with body-worn cameras, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday, in the latest fallout after the killings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers sparked widespread outrage.

He watches: Arrests of journalists fuel backlash as anti-customs protests spread from Minneapolis

Noem made the announcement on social media platform X. She said the body-worn camera program is being expanded across the country as funding becomes available.

“We will quickly acquire body cameras and deploy them to DHS law enforcement across the country,” Noem said in a social media post.

News of the body cameras comes as Minneapolis has been the site of intense scrutiny over the conduct of immigration enforcement officers following the shootings of two US citizens who were protesting immigration enforcement activities in the city.

There have been growing calls by Homeland Security critics to require all department officers responsible for enforcing immigration laws to wear body cameras.

President Joe Biden in 2022 ordered that federal law enforcement officers wear body cameras as part of an executive order that includes other police reform measures. President Donald Trump rescinded this directive after he began his second term.

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Noem’s move comes after Trump over the weekend supported the idea of ​​body cameras for immigration officers.

A reporter asked Trump as he headed to Florida if he thought it was a good idea to have so many cameras capturing incidents with law enforcement.

“I think it will help law enforcement, but I have to talk to them,” Trump said.