Noem Orders Federal Agents in Minneapolis to Wear Body Cameras

Civil rights advocates welcomed the order but warned that transparency would depend on how DHS releases footage. “Body cameras are only meaningful if the videos are made accessible to the public and not selectively withheld,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council.

Republicans and law-enforcement supporters largely defended the move as a way to counter false claims against federal agents. DHS noted that experience from police departments nationwide since 2020 has shown that full recordings often disprove allegations of misconduct made from partial clips.

The rollout also comes as the Justice Department has opened a civil-rights investigation into Pretti’s death, the first of its kind involving a DHS enforcement action under the current administration.

Trump last week dispatched Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take over operational command from Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, whose handling of recent enforcement actions drew criticism from both parties.

With Noem’s new directive, every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis — including ICE, CBP, and related enforcement units — will be required to activate body cameras during all field operations, arrests, and public interactions.

DHS said the policy will remain in effect indefinitely and could be extended to other major metropolitan areas “as quickly as logistics and funding allow.”

“This is about facts, not politics,” Noem said Monday evening. “From this day forward, every DHS intervention in Minneapolis will be recorded, and accountability will be built into every encounter.”