WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Saturday it expects every officer and agent in the field to be equipped with a body camera by the end of August, a rapid expansion that could provide an unprecedented visual record of the federal government鈥檚 immigration enforcement operations.
But whether the public will get to see that footage remains largely up to ICE.
The agency defended its body-worn camera policy amid questions about provisions allowing ICE leadership to withhold or indefinitely delay footage after serious injuries or deaths in custody. Acting Director David J. Venturella said the restrictions are intended to protect investigations and privacy and are consistent with federal law and policies at other federal law enforcement agencies.
came in response to on ICE policy, including a provision calling for the expedited release of footage after a serious injury or death in custody when doing so is determined to be in the 鈥渂est interests of the agency.鈥�
Venturella said the AP 鈥渕ischaracterized鈥� the policy by conflating that provision with ICE鈥檚 broader authority to release body-camera footage. He said the policy clarifies that footage should not be released when doing so could compromise investigations or privacy.
The AP report did not say the provision governs every release of body-camera footage. It focused on ICE鈥檚 policy for releasing footage after some of the most consequential encounters with the public: those involving serious injury or death.
The AP sought comment from ICE before its initial story on Friday. The agency provided partial responses, without addressing the provision that footage would be released when in its 鈥渂est interests.鈥�
ICE has been under heightened scrutiny since the fatal shooting in July of by an ICE officer with a history of violent behavior. Days earlier, another ICE officer shot and driving to work. Neither shooting was recorded with body cameras.
Venturella said ICE was 鈥渃ommitted to transparency and accountability鈥� and was 鈥渙n track to equip every officer and agent in the field with body-worn cameras by the end of August.鈥�
The AP quoted Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University in Canada, who said that selective releases are routine in some law enforcement agencies but usually not so clearly contemplated in policy. 鈥淚n some ways, ICE is saying the quiet part out loud,鈥� he said.
The story noted that ICE鈥檚 sister agency, , has not released footage of the fatal in Minneapolis in January. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott told lawmakers that it was part of an investigation and would be made public 鈥渨hen it鈥檚 appropriate.”
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