Federal Officers in Mpls. Will Wear Body Cameras after Fatal Shotings.
What to know
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered body-worn cameras for all federal officers operating in Minneapolis following two fatal shootings involving immigration agents.
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The directive follows protests, heightened scrutiny of federal enforcement actions and a partial government shutdown tied to Democratic demands for increased Department of Homeland Security accountability.
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Noem said the program could expand nationwide as funding allows, while congressional negotiations over government funding and oversight measures continue.
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that “every officer” in the field in Minneapolis will wear a body camera after a national outcry over the killings of two U.S. citizens in the city, potentially easing the path to pass a government funding deal.
“Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” Noem said in a post on X. “As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide,” Noem added.
The new directive comes after thousands of immigration officials were sent to Minnesota by the White House amid a federal crackdown on undocumented migrants. The enforcement effort has proved controversial after agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, actions that sparked nationwide protests and disrupted daily life across Minneapolis.
Since the shootings, federal agents have been filmed in numerous charged encounters with civilians and protesters. The ubiquity of smartphones equipped with cameras has made it easy for bystanders to capture such interactions — and underscored the absence of official recordings from federal officers involved in these operations.
Body-worn cameras are now standard for many local police departments across the U.S., where the video can be used in investigations, court proceedings and reviews of incidents. A survey cited by the nonprofit Police Executive Research Forum shows as of 2022-2023 more than 80% of police departments had body cameras for at least one of their officers.
In the aftermath of the Minnesota incidents, congressional Democrats are seeking measures to restrain federal immigration enforcement, leading to a partial U.S. government shutdown since Saturday. Democrats have sought to use the funding bill to force new accountability measures at the Department of Homeland Security, arguing that body-camera requirements should be among conditions of continued funding.
Minnesota Democrats, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, have said federal immigration agents should be held to the same body-camera standards as local police. Some Republicans have also signaled openness to the idea. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said he does not personally “have a problem” with requiring body cameras.
Democratic Representative Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania told Bloomberg Television on Monday she wasn’t satisfied with Noem’s social media post and is still deciding how she will vote on the funding package.
“It’s a message of desperation. It’s a message too late,” Dean said. “No, that doesn’t help me at all.”
Noem and President Donald Trump “have got a long way to go” to meet Democratic demands, she added.
Trump said the decision to add body cameras was Noem’s.
“They generally tend to be good for law enforcement, because people can’t lie about what’s happening,” Trump said on Monday. “It’s, generally speaking, I think 80% good for law enforcement. But if she wants to do that, I’m OK with it.”
With assistance from Erik Wasson, Joe Mathieu and Mike Dorning.
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