Officers tasked with carrying out a controversial immigration crackdown in Minneapolis will be equipped with body-worn cameras following the fatal shooting of two protesters.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said every agent in her department in the city, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will be given one.
He also stated that officers nationwide will receive body cameras as soon as funding becomes available.
Kristi Noem. Photo: Reuters
killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
It’s the latest effort by the White House to ease tensions after two people were shot and killed by federal agents Minneapolis. Across the country, there was widespread reaction last month.
Alex Pretty, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed by immigration officials. Just weeks later, Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in his car.
After Mr Preeti’s death, Ms Noem claimed he “arrived with a machete and dozens of rounds of ammunition and attacked the officers”, who took action to “save his life”.
However, several videos of the shooting emerged that showed Mr Preeti with only a mobile phone in his hand while officers pinned him to the ground, and one removed a handgun from his trousers.
Homeland Security officers were on patrol in Minneapolis. Photo: Reuters
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The Department of Homeland Security had previously said that at least four Customs and Border Protection officers were wearing body cameras at the scene when Mr Preeti was shot. However, the public has not seen that footage.
It is also not yet known whether any ICE officers were wearing body cameras at the scene of Ms Good’s murder.
How can we be sure that the Pretty ICE controversy is not related to AI?
Trump: Cameras mean ‘people can’t lie’
In response to Ms. Noem’s announcement, Donald Trump emphasised that the decision was not his, but he expressed strong support for the initiative.
“They [body-worn cameras] are generally beneficial for law enforcement, because people can’t lie about what’s going on,” the US President said.
“So, generally speaking, I think it’s 80% good for law enforcement. But if she wants to do the camera work, I have no objection to that.”
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Since Mr Pretti’s death, Mr Trump has sent his so-called “border czar”, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis to replace US Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino. Gregory Bovino was the one overseeing ICE in the city.
The two agents involved in the fatal shooting of Mr Preeti have been placed on administrative leave while the Justice Department opens a federal civil rights investigation into the incident.
The situation in Minneapolis has led all immigration enforcement officers to wear body cameras.
In 2022, former President Joe Biden ordered that federal law enforcement officers wear body cameras as part of an executive order that included other police reform measures.
However, Mr Trump rescinded that directive after he began his second term.
