WASHINGTON – Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noemsaid immigration officers would begin wearing body cameras "immediately," after the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration's deportation crackdown in the city.
Noem in apost on Xsaid the decision came after speaking to the Trump administration's border czarTom Homan, as well as other top immigration officials.
"As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide. We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country," she said in the post.
PresidentDonald Trumptold reporters he would leave the move to Noem, adding that the cameras could help Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
"They generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can't lie about what's happening. So generally speaking I think 80% good for law enforcement," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Body-worn cameras became one of the main points of contention between Republicans who support the administration's immigration campaign and Democrats who support protesters against the detention and deportation policies.
Congress is debating a two-week extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, to allow time for negotiations over steps such as implementing body-worn cameras and deciding whether officers can wear masks while making arrests and whether they need warrants issued by judges to arrest suspects.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Immigration officers in MN will wear body cameras, Noem says
