Noem’s announcement puts an end to concerns about requiring police officers to wear cameras, which had been a key issue in Congress over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said immigration officers in Minneapolis will begin wearing body cameras “immediately” after two Americans were shot and killed in the Trump administration’s deportation crackdown.
Noem said in a post on X that the decision was made after discussions with Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border secretary, and other top immigration officials.
“I will immediately equip every police officer on the scene in Minneapolis with body cameras,” Noem said in a social media post. “As funding becomes available, the body camera program will be expanded across the country. We will quickly acquire body cameras and deploy them to DHS law enforcement agencies across the country.”
President Donald Trump told reporters he would leave the move to Noem, adding that the cameras could be useful to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“It generally tends to be more favorable to law enforcement because people can’t lie about what’s going on,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “So, generally speaking, I think 80% is a good thing for law enforcement.”
Body-worn cameras have become one of the key points of contention between Republicans, who support the administration’s immigration policies, and Democrats, who support protesters who oppose the detention and deportation policies.
Congress is currently debating extending DHS funding by two weeks to allow time for negotiations on measures such as body-worn cameras. Lawmakers are also considering whether federal agents can wear masks during arrests and whether a judge-issued warrant is required to arrest a suspect.
Noem’s announcement comes after Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preti were shot and killed in separate incidents, sparking a storm of criticism.
Good was shot in the chest and head inside his car after federal agents accused him of trying to run them over. A USA TODAY analysis of the footage showed Good’s car appeared to be turning away from officers at the time of the shooting. He fired three shots, one into the windshield and two into the driver’s side window, which Goode had opened as he passed. All shots appeared to be fired after the agents had left.
Preti was pinned down on the street by federal agents and shot multiple times. According to footage of the incident, the 37-year-old nurse never brandished the gun, which she had on a permit.
In response, critics of the Trump administration’s immigration policies have called for federal officers to wear cameras, as many local police officers do. He also called on federal authorities to stop wearing masks that conceal their identities and to obtain warrants from judges before arresting suspects.
President Trump made Homan the central figure in immigration enforcement in Minnesota after Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino left the state amid deadly tensions between federal agents and protesters. President Trump told reporters that the decision regarding body cameras was not his, but that he supports it.
“I’ll leave it up to her,” President Trump said.
(This story has been updated to include video.)
