Federal immigration agents deployed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will soon receive body cameras, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says.
The announcement comes as the government faces a backlash over the deaths last month of two US citizens – Alex Pretti and Renee Good – following a surge of federal immigration officers into the Minneapolis area as part of an immigration crackdown.
“Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X on Monday.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled Pretti’s 24 January death a homicide.
Homicide refers to the killing of a person by another person. It does not necessarily signify that a crime has occurred.
Monday’s report by the medical examiner said Pretti had suffered “multiple gunshot wounds” fired by one or more law enforcement officers.
It added that he died in the emergency room at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. No further details were noted.
According to US Customs and Border Protection, the two agents involved in Pretti’s death wore body cameras. They have been placed on leave, the agency said.
The US Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death.
Noem said once funding is available, the body camera programme will be expanded nationwide.
The US is currently on day three of a partial government shutdown as Democrats continue to demand immigration reforms, including body cameras, as part of any funding deal to reopen the government.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is currently the highest funded US law enforcement agency, after Congress authorised $80bn (£59bn) for the agency last year.
Asked about Noem’s announcement, President Donald Trump said that body cameras “generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can’t lie about what’s happening”.
“Generally speaking, I think it’s 80% good for law enforcement,” he said.
In the wake of Pretti’s shooting, the Trump administration removed Gregory Bovino, the US border patrol chief, from Minneapolis and replaced him with border tsar Tom Homan.
Last week Homan met local leaders, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Michael Frey, to discuss calming tensions in the wake of Pretti and Good’s deaths.
Walz and Frey have called for a withdrawal of federal agents entirely from the state’s capital region.
After his arrival, Homan said that authorities were working on a plan to “draw down” federal agents in Minneapolis, but that changes in the operation would depend on how much state and local officials co-operate with federal authorities.
The administration has criticised Minneapolis for having a “sanctuary city policy” that bars city employees from enforcing immigration laws.
Frey told the New York Times that he wants Minneapolis police officers “doing the important work of keeping Minneapolis residents safe”.
But he has said the city will work with federal authorities in certain situations.
More than 3,000 federal immigration officers have been in the state of Minnesota for weeks as part of a federal immigration surge ordered by Trump, who campaigned on a promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
By BBC News
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