US Senate minority leader calls for nationwide body cameras for federal immigration agents
'This policy, which is the right policy, should be nationwide,’ Chuck Schumer says, adding, there is 'no reason to delay that'
WASHINGTON
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Congress on Tuesday to mandate the use of body cameras for federal immigration agents nationwide, arguing executive actions alone are insufficient to ensure accountability.
"Yesterday, Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem -- who, for some reason still has a job; she should have been fired long ago -- announced that all federal immigration agents in Minneapolis are going to begin wearing body cameras," Schumer said from the Senate floor.
Schumer said the move, while overdue, does not go far enough. “This policy, which is the right policy, should be nationwide,” he said, adding that there is “no reason to delay that.”
On Monday, Noem announced that her department will immediately deploy body cameras to all law enforcement officers operating in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide," she said.
Calling for Congress to pass legislation that would permanently require body cameras for immigration enforcement officers, Schumer said enshrining the requirement into law would provide stability and accountability.
"Executive actions alone will never be enough for the American people. We need to pass legislation. We know how whimsical Donald Trump is ... Same with Secretary Noem. So, we don't trust some executive order, some pronouncement from some cabinet secretary. We need it enshrined into law," Schumer said.
Noem's announcement came amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and shootings by federal immigration agents that have taken place for more than a month across Minnesota. Demonstrations escalated following the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, by immigration officers last month, and the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.
The Pretti shooting heightened tensions as local and state leaders demanded independent investigations and questioned federal cooperation with authorities.
Schumer said "nothing meaningful has changed about ICE abuses" since the deaths of Pretti and Good.
