ICE defends body-camera policy allowing releases only in agency's best interests

Washington,UPDATED: Aug 9, 2026 01:04 IST

The acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has objected to reporting by The Associated Press on an agency policy that allows the public release of body-worn camera footage only when ICE decides it is in its “best interests”.

David J Venturella said the policy makes clear that footage should not be released if doing so could affect investigations or privacy. He said the approach is in line with other federal law enforcement agencies and is consistent with the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Under the ICE policy, adopted in February 2025 after President Donald Trump took office, footage is to be released in the immediate aftermath of a serious injury or death in custody, ideally within 72 hours, if this is in the “best interests of the agency”. The policy says, “If there are specific and compelling circumstances justifying an objection to public release that cannot be resolved by redaction or other means, when determined by the ICE Director or his or her designee, ICE may withhold or indefinitely delay the release.”

In a statement, Venturella said ICE was “committed to transparency and accountability” and was “on track to equip every officer and agent in the field with body-worn cameras by the end of August”. He also said the AP had conflated “the expedited release of footage following a serious bodily injury or death in custody with ICE's broader authority to release body-worn camera footage”.

The AP quoted Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University in Canada, as saying that selective releases are routine in some law enforcement agencies but are usually not set out so clearly in policy. “In some ways, ICE is saying the quiet part out loud,” he said. The AP said policies vary across other law enforcement agencies and cited examples of major police departments that routinely release footage.

The report also said ICE's sister agency, Customs and Border Protection, has not released footage of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott told lawmakers it was part of an investigation and would be made public “when it's appropriate”. ICE has faced increased scrutiny since the fatal shooting in July of a 25-year-old motorist in Maine by an ICE officer with a history of violent behaviour. Days earlier, another ICE officer shot dead a Houston homebuilder who was driving to work. Neither shooting was recorded on body cameras. Overall, the dispute centres on when and under what conditions ICE should make body-camera footage public.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends