Trump moved to cut funding for ICE body cameras, pared back oversight
Source: Reuters
January 25, 2026 4:04 PM EST Updated 11 hours ago
WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s administration opposed efforts to expand the use of body cameras by immigration officers and sharply cut oversight staffing as it surged officers into Minneapolis and other cities, leading to a series of violent clashes.
Footage from bystanders of two fatal shootings of U.S. citizen protesters, including Saturday’s incident that left an ICU nurse dead, has underscored the power of video in checking official statements that have portrayed people who have been shot as provoking violent encounters with immigration officers.
Cameras worn by officers long have been central to police reform efforts for this reason. The Trump administration, however, moved last year to slow-walk a pilot program to give ICE officers body cameras, urging Congress in June to cut the funding by 75% and bucking a nationwide trend of cameras for law enforcement.
Officials last year also placed on paid leave nearly all staffers working for three internal watchdogs conducting oversight of immigration agencies, undermining their capacity to investigate abuses.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-moved-cut-funding-ice-body-cameras-pared-back-oversight-2026-01-25/