Noem Orders Body Cameras for All DHS Officers in Minneapolis Amid Fallout From ICE and Border Patrol Killings
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the immediate issuance of body‑worn cameras to every DHS officer in the field in Minneapolis — including ICE and Border Patrol — saying the department will expand the program nationwide as funding allows, a move framed as fallout from the deadly federal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The announcement, which follows revelations that some agents had body‑cam footage of the Pretti shooting while officers at Good’s death did not (the shooter filmed with his phone), was publicly endorsed by President Trump and has intensified Senate Democrats’ push to codify a body‑camera mandate amid ongoing DHS funding negotiations after Trump rescinded a 2022 Biden executive order on federal agents’ cameras.
📌 Key Facts
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered that every DHS law‑enforcement officer 'in the field' in Minneapolis — including ICE and Border Patrol — be immediately issued and wear body‑worn cameras, and she said DHS will expand deployment nationwide as funding allows.
- The order is presented as an immediate, concrete response to the deadly Minneapolis shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the intense protests and scrutiny that followed.
- Investigators say some agents were already wearing body cameras at the Alex Pretti shooting (with multi‑angle footage under review), but officers at Renee Good’s death were not equipped with body cameras and the shooter recorded with his phone; New York Times analysis and other videos found DHS initial claims about Good (that she tried to run over an agent) contradicted witness footage.
- President Trump publicly endorsed the move, saying he deferred to Noem’s judgment and that body cameras are generally beneficial because they document encounters and help prevent false claims.
- Lawmakers and negotiators have tied the issue to DHS funding: Senate Democrats are pushing to write a body‑camera mandate into law as part of DHS funding negotiations (a prior DHS bill included $20 million for ICE/CBP cameras), the Senate passed a two‑week DHS funding extension and the House is expected to vote on short‑term funding amid demands for deeper reforms.
- There is precedent and related oversight: a prior federal court order in Chicago required federal agents to wear body cameras during immigration enforcement, a judge emphasized the requirement was mandatory, and DHS/CBP internal oversight cited body‑camera footage in a preliminary Office of Professional Responsibility report to Congress.
- Context and policy history: President Biden’s 2022 executive order had directed federal agents to wear body cameras in 'all appropriate circumstances,' which President Trump rescinded after his inauguration; Noem’s Minneapolis‑first rollout is now being publicly framed by DHS and endorsed by Trump as a renewed move toward body‑camera use.
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 03, 2026
12:52 AM
Noem says all DHS officers in Minneapolis will get body cameras
New information:
- CBS segment confirms on camera that Noem’s directive explicitly covers 'all DHS officers in Minneapolis, including ICE and Border Patrol.'
- The enforcement of the body‑camera order is being framed as an immediate, concrete step rather than a vague future plan.
- CBS anchors and correspondent Nicole Sganga present the announcement in the context of broader Minneapolis shooting investigations, reinforcing that this is a direct response to those incidents.
12:40 AM
Immigration Officers in Minneapolis Will Wear Body Cameras, Noem Says
New information:
- New York Times explicitly ties the body‑camera order to misstatements and contradictions in DHS narratives about the Renee Good and Alex Pretti shootings compared with witness video and local officials’ accounts.
- It reiterates that some Minnesota federal officers were already wearing body cameras during the Pretti shooting and that DHS says there is multi‑angle footage under review.
- It details how initial DHS claims that Renee Good tried to run over an officer are undermined by a Times video analysis that found no indication the agent was run over.
February 02, 2026
11:01 PM
Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis is getting a body-worn camera, Noem says
New information:
- Confirms every DHS officer on the ground in Minneapolis, including ICE officers, will be 'immediately issued' body‑worn cameras.
- States that Secretary Kristi Noem has publicly committed on X to 'rapidly acquire and deploy' body cameras across DHS law‑enforcement nationwide as funding becomes available.
- Clarifies that Trump had previously rescinded Biden’s 2022 executive order mandating body cameras for federal officers, and that his weekend comments now endorse cameras for immigration officers.
- Frames the move explicitly as 'the latest fallout' from the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis, amid intense scrutiny and protests.
10:52 PM
Kristi Noem orders immediate body camera deployment for Minneapolis federal officers after deadly shootings
New information:
- Trump explicitly says the decision to deploy body cameras in Minneapolis was Secretary Kristi Noem’s call and that he deferred to her judgment.
- Trump quantifies his support, saying body cameras are '80% good for law enforcement' and 'generally' beneficial because they document encounters and help prevent false claims.
- Fox adds detail that ICE has been gradually rolling out body cameras nationwide, including during recent high‑profile arrests, but the ICE team that shot Renee Good did not have cameras, underscoring the policy gap this move is meant to close.
10:48 PM
DHS funding at center of government budget talks; Noem says feds in Minneapolis getting bodycams
New information:
- CBS ties Noem’s Minneapolis body‑camera commitment directly into the live DHS funding negotiations and partial government shutdown, presenting it as part of the political context in which Democrats are demanding reforms to ICE operations.
- The segment highlights that the promise of body cameras comes as the House weighs a revised funding package to reopen the government, sharpening the sense that operational changes at DHS are being used as bargaining chips.
10:34 PM
Immigration officers in Minneapolis will start wearing body cameras, Noem says
New information:
- Confirms that, per Noem, every DHS immigration officer "in the field" in Minneapolis will now wear a body camera effective immediately, and that DHS intends to expand body‑camera use across all its law‑enforcement personnel nationally as funding allows.
- Quotes President Trump explicitly endorsing the move, saying body cameras are generally good for law enforcement because "people can't lie about what's happening."
- Details that DHS already had body‑camera footage from multiple agents at the Alex Pretti shooting and that this footage was cited in a preliminary CBP Office of Professional Responsibility report to Congress.
- Adds that a prior federal court order in Chicago required federal agents to wear body cameras during all law‑enforcement activities during an earlier immigration surge, and the judge later emphasized the order "wasn't a suggestion" and "not up for debate."
- Spells out that Senate Democrats are now pressing to write a body‑camera mandate into law as part of DHS funding negotiations, with Schumer describing their demand as "masks off, body cameras on," and notes a previously negotiated DHS bill included $20 million specifically for ICE/CBP cameras.
- Provides legislative timing: the Senate just passed a two‑week DHS funding extension; the House is expected to vote on that short‑term measure this week amid Democratic vows to oppose any longer‑term DHS bill without deeper reforms.
- Adds historical context that Biden’s 2022 executive order directed all federal agents to wear body cameras in 'all appropriate circumstances' and that Trump rescinded that order shortly after his second inauguration, before now backing Noem’s Minneapolis‑first camera rollout.
10:31 PM
All DHS officers to wear body cameras, starting in Minnesota
New information:
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” adding that, as funding allows, DHS will expand the program nationwide.
- The article clarifies that investigators already had some body‑worn camera footage from Alex Pretti’s killing, but officers at the scene of Renee Good’s death were not equipped with body cameras; the shooter filmed with his phone instead.
- The story reiterates that Trump administration officials labeled Good and Pretti 'domestic terrorists' and claimed they tried to attack officers, despite protest and media videos showing otherwise, underscoring why critics demanded mandatory body‑cams.