All federal immigration officers operating on the ground in Minneapolis will now be equipped with body-worn cameras, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday, Feb. 3.
Noem said the change takes effect immediately and that the department intends to expand the program nationwide as funding becomes available.
“We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country,” Noem said in a post on X.
The move comes as the Trump administration faces intense backlash after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last month during a major immigration crackdown.
The deaths of 37-year-old Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs nurse, sparked public outrage and protests, and drew criticism of federal enforcement tactics and decision-making.
Accounts offered by Noem, President Donald Trump and other federal officials have at times differed from statements by local officials and from witness video, fueling renewed calls for transparency and accountability — including from some Republicans.
Hours after Pretti’s death, Noem claimed he “came with a weapon and dozens of rounds of ammunition and attacked” officers, who took action to “defend their lives.”
But footage showed Pretti holding a phone — not a gun — before agents pulled him to the ground and opened fire. Video from the scene indicates Pretti had a weapon but was not holding it at the moment he was confronted. He was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, and he was shot after being disarmed and restrained, according to video analysis by The New York Times.
It remains unclear whether any ICE officers present during Good’s killing were wearing cameras. Last week, DHS said there is body camera footage connected to Pretti’s death.
“There is body camera footage from multiple angles, which investigators are currently reviewing,” DHS said in a statement.
On Monday, Trump said the new requirement “wasn’t my decision,” but added that body cameras “generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can’t lie about what’s happening.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded on X, saying body cameras should have been worn “long before they killed two Americans.”
The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s shooting death, but has not opened one into Good’s death.
Congress approved $170 billion in additional funding for DHS last year, spread over four years.
