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In a significant policy shift, ICE personnel in select cities will now use body cameras during their operations. This rollout includes 1,600 cameras across Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, highlighting ICE’s move towards “greater accountability and transparency.”

According to ICE Director Patrick J. Lechleitner, officers stationed in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Buffalo, and Detroit will be the first to implement this policy, recording interactions as part of their daily duties.

Lechleitner said, “Public trust is dependent on transparency, and our ability to effectively conduct our mission is dependent on public trust. The deployment of body-worn cameras to our officers and agents assists in building that public trust through transparency and accountability. It is an essential element in our public safety and national security mission.”

The decision aligns with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ guidance issued last May, which mandates the use of body cameras by law enforcement officers and agents in specific situations, including emergency responses, planned arrests, and the execution of search warrants.