Immigration officials rejected a government watchdog report that suggested improvements to body camera policies.
Published October 14, 2026
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. government agency that has played a central role in President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, has rejected a government report calling for its employees to wear self-activating body cameras.
On Wednesday, the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan agency that provides research to Congress, released a report recommending updates to ICE guidelines regarding the use of cameras.
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The report suggested that “automatic activation of cameras” could be useful in situations where “unexpected, unplanned incidents unrelated to sensitive operations result in the use of force by or against personnel.”
“Given the important role of body-worn cameras in law enforcement operations, we argue that additional controls are needed to ensure that ICE officers capture footage in accordance with policy,” the report states.
It added that automatic activation would address the difficulties ICE officers face when manually turning on cameras during enforcement operations.
But ICE rejected that recommendation, saying it could be triggered automatically by an officer drawing a gun or activating a car siren. The agency cited privacy concerns as the reason.
But the Trump administration is facing public pressure to increase transparency in immigration raids.
Officials from agencies such as ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) face accusations of excessive use of force and violations of civil liberties.
In January, two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Preti, were shot and killed separately during immigration inspections in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The New York Times estimated in July that immigration officials have shot at at least 25 people since the start of President Trump’s second term. A CBS News review updated this week said there were at least 30 shootings, leaving nine people dead and 13 injured.
ICE has often blamed these incidents on attacks on agents and said the officers fired to protect themselves from danger.
However, in some cases the rationale has come under scrutiny.
Critics argued that video footage of Ms. Good’s shooting disproves government statements that she used the vehicle as a weapon against agents. Observers said her car appeared to be turning away from the agents, rather than toward them.
In a separate case, ICE agent Cristian Castro was accused of making false statements about a shooting incident that injured Julio Cesar Sosascelis, a Venezuelan man living in Minneapolis.
Mr. Castro is facing federal charges for allegedly lying about being attacked with a snow shovel and broom before the shooting after video footage contradicted his own account. Mr. Castro pleaded not guilty last month.
Most recently, on October 8, an immigration officer shot and killed a man named Oscar Bergal in New York City while his 5-year-old son was in the back seat of his car. ICE said Bergal appeared to be in a car “heading toward the officers” when he opened fire.
On Tuesday, a judge rejected the government’s efforts to deport Bergal.
Activists argue that improved procedures for recording body camera footage could help uncover what happened in such incidents.
However, the Trump administration has largely refused to implement reforms to ICE protocols.
Earlier this year, Congressional Democrats delayed funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, saying significant changes were needed to reduce excessive force incidents.
The department announced Wednesday that automated camera recordings could result in “unauthorized recording of confidential communications with informants and victims.”
The agency added that body cameras had arrived at all ICE offices as of Aug. 5, but training on how to use them is still underway and will end “soon.”
