WASHINGTON, Feb 2 - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Monday that her department would immediately equip every officer operating in the field in Minneapolis with body-worn cameras and that the body camera initiative will be extended nationwide as financial resources become available.
Noem posted on X: "Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis. As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide." She added that the administration will act quickly to obtain and distribute the devices, saying the Trump administration will "rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country."
The announcement comes in the wake of the killing last month in Minnesota of two U.S. citizens by agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security. Those killings have sparked protests on a national scale and intensified scrutiny of the administration's immigration enforcement practices.
Human rights advocates have criticized the administration's immigration policies, saying they fall short on due process and contribute to a hostile atmosphere for immigrant communities. The administration has defended its approach as a measure to strengthen domestic security.
President Donald Trump responded to Noem's announcement on Monday, telling reporters that body cameras "generally tend to be good for law enforcement, because people can’t lie about what’s happening." He added: "So it’s, generally speaking, I think 80%, good for law enforcement. But if she wants to do that, I’m okay with it," while noting that the decision was Noem's and not his own.
Noem made the deployment decision after a call with senior immigration and border officials, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, Trump border czar Tom Homan - who has been tasked to take over operations in Minnesota - and acting ICE director Todd Lyons.
The department's rollout strategy ties the pace of nationwide expansion to available funding, leaving the timeline for broader deployment contingent on budgetary resources.
Contextual note - The immediate Minneapolis deployment and planned nationwide expansion were announced as part of the administration's response to recent events involving ICE agents and the public reaction they produced.