Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons told lawmakers Tuesday that body camera footage from ICE operations in Minnesota will be released, while acknowledging that about 3,000 of roughly 13,000 ICE agents currently wear body cameras.
Lyons made the remarks during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, as lawmakers pressed the agency following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month. The hearing grew contentious as ICE officials acknowledged the limited use of body cameras and lawmakers clashed over enforcement tactics.
In the case of Good, footage of the fatal encounter included video from a federal agent's personal phone and was later circulated publicly, along with witness footage. The Pretti incident was captured by bystander video. Lyons did not specify whether body-camera footage exists from either of the fatal incidents.
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"Body cameras have been deployed in Minnesota. I think transparency helps regain public trust. Is there any plan to release any of the footage to the public?" Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, asked Lyons.
"100%, sir. That's one thing that I'm committed to - full transparency. And I fully welcome body cameras all across the spectrum in all of our law enforcement activities," Lyons said. "Body camera footage will be released."
Gonzales welcomed the response, saying he agreed "completely."
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"Everyone assumes body camera footage is bad footage, but in so many cases it's the exact opposite," Gonzales said. "We get to see from the officer's lens what they're dealing with on a daily basis, not just a 15-second clip we see on TikTok or whatever it may be."
Minnesota has become a flash point for resistance to immigration enforcement, with agitators clashing with federal agents and attempting to impede ICE operations during recent actions.
During the hearing, Lyons said more than 3,000 ICE officers currently have body cameras active in the field, with another 6,000 being deployed, confirming that the majority of ICE agents remain unequipped.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott told lawmakers that about 10,000 of the agency's roughly 20,000 Border Patrol agents have body cameras, though Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., expressed skepticism and asked Scott to provide a more precise figure to the committee.
