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Pramila Jayapal calls for ICE agents to wear body cameras
The demand follows a series of immigration enforcement incidents in which body camera footage was unavailable or nonfunctional.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 31, Jul 2026
- 14:44 EDT
- 32
Pramila Jayapal / X/ @RepJayapal
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately equip all agents interacting with the public with fully functional body-worn cameras.
In a letter sent July 30 with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Jayapal, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, said the demand follows a series of fatal immigration enforcement operations in which body camera footage was unavailable or the cameras were not functioning.
Also Read: Jayapal condemns deadly Seattle Center shooting
The letter says the request follows what the lawmakers described as a pattern of deadly immigration enforcement operations carried out without adequate accountability measures.
"We have watched in horror as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials shot over two dozen people and killed six of them, including three U.S. citizens, during immigration enforcement operations since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025," the lawmakers wrote.
"In shooting after shooting, we are told that there is no body-worn camera footage of the incident and asked to accept DHS's account of the incident. Time and again, that account turns out to be a blatant falsehood. It is time for DHS to use the $210 billion that congressional Republicans have given the agency to ensure that every DHS officer is equipped with a fully functioning body-worn camera when conducting immigration enforcement," they added.
According to the letter, DHS has repeatedly pledged to expand the use of body cameras but has yet to fulfill those commitments. The lawmakers noted that after ICE agents fatally shot U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier this year, the department promised a rapid nationwide deployment of the devices, a commitment they said remains unmet nearly six months later.
The letter also cited the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas earlier this month, where no body camera footage was available, and the killing of Johan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine days later, where officers were reportedly wearing cameras that were not functioning.
Citing those incidents, Raskin and Jayapal accused DHS of making false or misleading statements in several fatal encounters, including those involving Renée Good, Alex Pretti, Ruben Ray Martinez, and Marimar Martinez. They said evidence in multiple cases contradicted the department's claims that the victims had attacked officers, further undermining the agency's credibility.
The lawmakers argued that body cameras are a standard accountability tool widely used by state and local law enforcement agencies, providing transparency for the public while protecting both officers and civilians.
According to the letter, Congress has appropriated more than $210 billion for immigration enforcement over the past year and a half, including $20 million specifically designated for body camera deployment. The lawmakers also noted that while some Republican lawmakers have supported deploying the devices, House Judiciary Committee Republicans recently rejected an amendment that would have required ICE agents to use them.
Earlier this month, House Democrats led by Jayapal and Raskin called for independent investigations into the deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas and Johan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine, arguing the incidents raised serious concerns about the agency's use of force and transparency.
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