Federal officials in Minneapolis will wear body cameras 'immediately,' Noem says

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said immigration officers in Minneapolis would begin wearing body cameras “immediately," after the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens amid the Trump administration's deportation crackdown in the city.

Noem in a post on X said the decision came after speaking to the Trump administration's border czar Tom Homan, as well as other top immigration officials.

“Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” Noem said in a social media post. “As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide. We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country.”

President Donald Trump told reporters he would leave the move to Noem, adding that the cameras could help Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

"They generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can't lie about what's happening," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "So generally speaking I think 80% good for law enforcement."

Body-worn cameras became one of the main points of contention between Republicans who support the administration’s immigration campaign and Democrats who support protesters demonstrating against the detention and deportation policies.

Congress is currently debating a two-week extension of DHS funding to allow time for negotiations over steps such as implementing body-worn cameras. Lawmakers are also deliberating whether federal officers can wear masks while making arrests and whether they need warrants issued by judges to arrest suspects.

Noem’s announcement came after a firestorm of criticism in the shooting deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in separate incidents.

In response, critics of the Trump administration's immigration efforts have called for federal officers to wear cameras, like many local police officers. They have also pushed for federal officials to no longer wear face masks hiding their identities and to obtain warrants from judges before arresting suspects.

Trump made Homan the point person for immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota after Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino left the state amid deadly tensions between federal agents and protesters. Trump told reporters the decision about body cameras wasn’t his but that he supported it. (Source: USA Today)