ICE plans to outfit all field officers with body cameras by August end

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Saturday it expects to have body-worn cameras issued to all officers and agents operating in the field by the end of August. The rollout would create a comprehensive visual record of the agency’s immigration enforcement activities.

The agency said the cameras will be deployed despite ongoing questions about its rules for releasing footage. Acting Director David J. Venturella told reporters that restrictions on releasing video after serious injuries or deaths are meant to protect investigations, privacy, and comply with federal law and policies used by other federal law-enforcement bodies.

Venturella said an Associated Press report had “mischaracterized” ICE’s policy by conflating a provision that calls for expedited release of footage when it is in the “best interests of the agency” with the agency’s broader authority to withhold video. He emphasized that footage will not be released if it could jeopardize investigations or privacy.

The AP story focused on ICE’s policy for releasing video after incidents that result in serious injury or death, noting that previous shootings involving ICE officers in Maine and Houston were not captured on body cameras. ICE did not comment on the provision that would require release when deemed in the agency’s best interests.

"We are committed to transparency and accountability and are on track to equip every officer and agent in the field with body-worn cameras by the end of August," Venturella said.

Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University in Canada, said that selective releases of footage are common in some law-enforcement agencies but are rarely spelled out so explicitly in policy. He remarked that ICE’s approach makes its internal practices public.