A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer observes a crowd of protesters at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, May 25, 2026. (Photo by Ben Ackman/New Jersey Monitor)
WASHINGTON – In the wake of the fatal shootings of immigrants in Texas and Maine, the overwhelming majority of the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus has asked Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to deploy body cameras on all federal immigration officers.
IN letter of July 19 addressed to Mullin, 38 Senate Democrats and Angus King of Maine, an independent lawmaker who is in talks with Democrats, requested information about the shootings this month in Houston of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 25, in Biddeford, Maine.
The Department of Homeland Security said neither man was the initial target for execution when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stopped their vehicles.
“The unnecessary loss of life in these incidents requires an immediate, thorough, independent, and transparent investigation (including the full involvement of local and state law enforcement officials), along with a comprehensive analysis of the law enforcement protocols, training, and operational approaches necessary to prevent such tragedies,” the senators wrote.
Lawmakers pressed Mullin to make body cameras available to immigration officers, pointing out that Congress has allocated $175 billion to the department since last year. With these funds, DHS planned to hire up to 10,000 ICE officers.
“While DHS has previously acknowledged that body-worn cameras enhance public trust and enhance the safety, accountability, and transparency of officers and the public, the Department has clearly not prioritized purchasing the cameras,” the senators wrote.
None of the ICE officers involved in the shootings wore body cameras.
“Contrary to recent statements by the Department and the White House, DHS has had more than enough time and resources to purchase and deploy a body-worn camera for every officer by the end of 2025,” they wrote.
Sufficient financing
Congressional Republicans last year used a special legislative maneuver to allocate approximately $175 billion to DHS for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation, without the need for Democratic support.
They used the same move after this year’s shutdown to fund $75 billion through September 2029 for ICE and the Border Patrol.
Republicans used the maneuver, which allows for party-line voting, after Democrats refused to provide more funding for DHS unless ICE and Border Patrol agents were imposed restrictions following the January murders of two U.S. citizens – Alex Pretti and Renee Good – in Minnesota by federal immigration agents.
Among Democrats’ demands at the time was that immigration officers wear body cameras. Top Trump officials, including then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, said body cameras would be made available to immigration agents.
“Recent tragedies confirm that none of these commitments have been kept,” the senators wrote in the letter.
Traffic stops constantly
White House border czar Tom Homan he said over the weekend that ICE officers will wear “at least one body camera” during traffic stops.
After two homicides this month, DHS directed immigration officials to halt vehicle stops, but President Donald Trump quickly instructed the department to continue the policy.
During the second Trump administration, federal immigration officials they shot 22 people and killed sixincluding three US citizens. Most of the shootings took place at public transport stops.
In their letter, the senators also requested information on DHS’s plan for an independent homicide investigation, the vetting process for novel immigration officers, the department’s procedures for impounding vehicles, and any additional oversight and reporting requirements DHS is implementing.
