Every ICE arrest team will now have an agent with a body camera, DHS says, after 2 fatal shootings draw scrutiny

DHS Announces Body Cameras for All ICE Arrest Teams Following Fatal Shootings

July 15, 2026

The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that every U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest team will have at least one officer equipped with a body-worn camera. The announcement follows two fatal shootings by ICE agents who were not wearing the devices.

"Ensuring all of our ICE law enforcement officers have body cameras nationwide is a top priority for DHS," the department stated. It cited an increase in assaults against immigration agents and criticism from media outlets and some elected officials regarding law enforcement conduct.

The policy change follows the shooting of a Mexican man in Houston the previous week and the shooting of a Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine, six days later. In both incidents, the agents involved were not equipped with body cameras. DHS has stated that both men were in the United States without legal authorization and were not the intended targets of the operations. Both shootings occurred during attempted vehicle stops. In the Houston case, DHS reported that the man used his vehicle as a weapon; family members have disputed that account.

Prior to the Houston incident, DHS had reported that body cameras had been issued to more than half of ICE's field offices, with the remainder scheduled to receive them within 60 days. A department spokesperson attributed the delay in full deployment to a lapse in funding during the partial government shutdown earlier in the year. The same spokesperson stated that the officers in Houston had not received cameras due to the shutdowns.

Before the shutdown, the Trump administration had proposed reductions in funding and staffing for ICE's body-worn camera program. Congress later provided an additional $20 million for DHS body cameras in legislation that ended the shutdown in April.

In February, following two fatal shootings by immigration agents in Minneapolis, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that the agency would acquire and deploy body cameras nationwide as funding allowed.

Democratic lawmakers have questioned the pace of the rollout. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, whose district includes Houston, said last week that funding approved in April and in prior legislation should have permitted faster distribution. Garcia stated that Acting ICE Director David Venturella told her in a phone call that all field agents would have access to body cameras by the end of July.

Multiple sources told CBS News that ICE agents have been directed to suspend most vehicle stops during enforcement operations nationwide, except those involving individuals with serious criminal records. The pause is described as temporary and intended to allow additional training.

The Maine and Texas shootings have prompted further examination of ICE procedures during arrests.