ICE to equip all field officers with body cameras by August end

By the end of August, every U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field officer and agent was expected to be equipped with a body camera. Acting Director David Venturella said on Aug. 8 that the agency would finish the expansion by the month’s end.

The cameras are meant to create an evidentiary record, resolve disputes over arrests and other encounters, and address accusations of excessive force, poor communication and rights violations. They can also serve as a safeguard for officers who face false accusations and as a tool for supervisors trying to spot training gaps or policy failures.

The policy allows leadership to withhold body-camera video when release is not in ICE's "best interests," a broad exception that limits public oversight even as more encounters are recorded.

Directive 19010.3, Body Worn Camera, was signed Feb. 18, 2025 and issued the next day. It replaced Directive No. 19010.2 from Nov. 17, 2023. The directive requires ICE law enforcement officers and agents to activate body-worn cameras at the start of enforcement activity and turn them off when the activity ends. If an officer does not activate a camera, the directive requires a written explanation, and it includes exceptions when activation is not feasible.

House Judiciary Committee Democrats criticized ICE on July 30 for failing to fulfill an earlier body-camera pledge after deadly public encounters, and Louisiana Rep. Cleo Fields sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on July 24, 2025 over ICE agents carrying out operations while wearing masks. A federal judge in Chicago ordered immigration enforcement officers in the Chicago area to wear body cameras after violent clashes.