ICE says no to automatic body cameras

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pushing back on recommendations from a government office that it use body cameras that activate automatically after the draw of a weapon.

ICE agents have faced scrutiny in recent months over a series of violent altercations during enforcement operations, which have prompted calls for greater oversight. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report this week, which noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, had rejected the suggestion to automated cameras.

“DHS stated that, for ICE, automatic activation presents operational risks, including inadvertent or false activations during routine movement," the GAO report stated, according to The Hill. "DHS also stated that these inadvertent or false activations could result in the unauthorized recording of sensitive interactions with informants or victims, or the recording of bystanders engaged in First Amendment activities in areas where camera use is restricted."

But DHS did accept an array of recommendations from the GAO to improve oversight of enforcement operations. Democrats had requested the report as part of their efforts to scrutinize the agency amid President Donald Trump's deportation efforts.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.