Federal immigration officers in Minneapolis will begin wearing body cameras, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday, addressing a concern among those critical of her forces as well as among some of the officers themselves.
“Effective immediately, we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” Noem said. “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.”
The announcement comes after two U.S. citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were killed by federal immigration officers last month. Investigators have been reviewing body-worn camera footage in Pretti’s killing, but officers at the scene of Good’s death did not appear to be equipped with them. The officer who shot and killed her did so with his weapon in his right hand while filming the encounter with his phone in his left.
Trump administration officials have called Good and Pretti domestic terrorists and claimed they attempted to attack officers, despite videos showing otherwise.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.