Border Czar Homan: ICE officers must wear body cameras during traffic stops

In the wake of two fatal shootings in Texas and Maine, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will wear "at least one body camera" during traffic stops, according to Tom Homan, the president's border czar.

Homan, whom President Donald Trump has tasked with leading the administration's mass deportation campaign, stated in a Sunday interview on Fox News that ICE's acting director has instructed officers to wear a body camera "whenever possible" during vehicle stops.

Recent Fatal Incidents

This month, two immigrants were shot and killed by ICE agents during vehicle stops:

• Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 25
• Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), neither man was an initial enforcement target.

Homan's Position on Body Cameras

During Sunday's Fox and Friends Weekend program, Homan expressed support for body cameras, stating: "They exonerate more law enforcement than they convict."

"I want officers to wear body cameras because I want the American people to see what the officers saw when they took that action," Homan added.

Broader Context

Federal immigration officers have shot 22 people and killed six — including three U.S. citizens — during the second Trump administration. Most shootings have stemmed from traffic stops, which Homan confirmed officers were continuing.

Following the back-to-back shootings of Salgado Araujo in Texas and Guerrero in Maine, DHS instructed agents to pause vehicle stops, but President Trump quickly reversed those plans.

Congressional Standstill

Homan blamed Democrats for the lack of body cameras among immigration agents, pointing to the weeks-long shutdown of DHS. He also accused traffic stops of becoming more dangerous due to Democratic criticism of ICE.

"They're more dangerous now than ever because Democratic members of Congress, Democratic mayors and governors have preached for the past year 'ICE isn't a real law enforcement agency. ICE has no authority. Resist,'" he said.

Democrats had previously refused to approve funding for DHS unless restraints were placed on ICE and Border Patrol officers — including a requirement for body cameras — after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal immigration officers in Minnesota in January.

Funding and Legislative Maneuvers

• Congressional Republicans last year used a special legislative maneuver to allocate roughly $175 billion to DHS for immigration enforcement, detainment, and deportations, without needing Democratic support.
• GOP lawmakers used the same move following the shutdown this year to fund $75 billion for ICE and Border Patrol until September 2029.

Previous Commitments

In a separate interview on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday, Homan reiterated his support for body cameras on ICE officers and again blamed Democrats for their absence.

"I think body cameras are the way to go," he said.

After the two killings in Minnesota in January, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that DHS would be issuing body cameras to immigration officers.