Espaillat Bill Implemented by Biden Administration to Now Require ICE Agents to Wear Body Cameras While on Duty

Press Release

Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) announced the inclusion of provisions of his bill H.R. 531, the ICE and CBP Body Camera Accountability Act in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pilot program that will require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in select cities -- including New York City -- to wear body cameras when on duty.

Earlier, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the implementation of this pilot program in select cities where special agents began wearing body worn cameras for pre-planned law enforcement operations occurring in the next six months -- guided by provisions included in Rep. Espaillat's ICE and CBP Body Camera Accountability Act.

Since 2017, Rep. Espaillat has introduced legislation that would require both ICE and CBP officers to wear body cameras when on duty.

"For years, throughout the horrors of the Trump administration, I introduced the ICE and CBP Body Camera Accountability Act -- to require ICE and CPB agents to wear body cameras while on duty in response to reports of coercive methods to extract information and fabricating the testimonies of immigrants, including DACA recipients," said Rep. Espaillat. "I am delighted to work with the Biden Administration to see provisions from my bill included in this newly issued guidance and commend Secretary Mayorkas for his leadership on this critically important matter.

"Undocumented immigrants and green card holders continue to live in fear -- and now when the cameras are now on, we will be watching to ensure that the civil rights of our nation's most vulnerable individuals and their families are not violated," Espaillat concluded.

"With its body worn camera pilot, ICE is making an important statement that transparency and accountability are essential components of our ability to fulfill our law enforcement mission and keep communities safe," said Secretary Mayorkas. "The Department will continue to seek ways to ensure the safety and security of our workforce, our state and local partners, and the public, while at the same time building confidence with the communities we serve."

The deployment of body worn cameras will occur in phases, following training at select locations throughout the United States, beginning with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and followed by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers at a later date. HSI pilot locations include Houston, Texas; New York City, New York; and Newark, New Jersey; and is being conducted with members of HSI's elite special response teams (SRT) which operate as a federal Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) element for the office's area of responsibility.

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