U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers nationwide can resume conducting traffic stops under new guidance issued Thursday, with the requirement that at least one officer involved in the stop must be wearing a body camera. Sources familiar with the policy told Fox News that officers without access to body cameras are not authorized to conduct these stops.
The rollout of body cameras, which began in the agency's largest cities, has not yet reached every ICE field office. This new policy is expected to continue limiting the number of traffic stops conducted nationwide until the body camera deployment is complete, a process anticipated to take approximately two more months.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated to Fox News that ICE will ensure each arrest team has an individual wearing a body camera, emphasizing that equipping all ICE law enforcement officers with body cameras is a top priority. The spokesperson cited an increase in attacks against law enforcement, including a more than 1,300% rise in assaults and a 3,300% increase in vehicle attacks, as a reason for the expedited rollout.
The spokesperson also noted that the process of purchasing and issuing body-worn cameras was impacted by multiple government shutdowns. Body cameras have been deployed to over half of the field offices, with the remaining offices expected to receive them within 60 days.
The new guidance represents a significant operational adjustment for ICE as it integrates body cameras into its enforcement activities and reinstates a key immigration enforcement tactic.