Why It Matters
Neither U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) nor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has updated its body camera program plans to reflect significant changes, including a 2025 pause in further camera deployment, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, "Federal Law Enforcement: CBP and ICE Should Improve Body-Worn Camera Program Management."
Most CBP and ICE offices have not developed operational guidance on how personnel should use cameras under their unique circumstances, a gap GAO said increases the risk that personnel will fail to use the cameras as required under policy.
The Big Picture
CBP began issuing body cameras in fiscal year 2021, and ICE began in fiscal year 2024. By mid-2026, CBP had deployed more than twice as many cameras as ICE, with approximately 11,500 versus approximately 4,800. Nearly all of CBP's cameras went to U.S. Border Patrol, while ICE's cameras were split almost evenly between Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations.
Both agencies stated intended results for their programs, including enhancing officer safety, transparency, accountability, and public trust. The programs have operated under growing public and congressional scrutiny, particularly as immigration enforcement has intensified and questions about officer conduct at the border have drawn sustained attention.
CBP's program plan has not been updated for at least four years, having last been revised in 2022. ICE last updated its plan in 2024, meaning neither agency's planning documents account for the 2025 pause in further camera deployment or other changes in program scope and cost.
GAO found that neither agency had implemented results-oriented performance goals and measures to assess whether its body-worn camera program is achieving its stated results, which include officer safety, transparency, accountability, and public trust. GAO also found that most CBP and ICE offices had not developed office-specific operational guidance explaining when and how personnel should use cameras given their particular operational circumstances.
The Bottom Line
GAO issued seven recommendations across the two agencies, and all seven remain open, with no actions yet taken or confirmed to satisfy them. DHS agreed with six of the seven recommendations but declined to implement automated camera-activation controls for ICE, which would trigger recording when a related action occurs, such as when emergency lights are engaged. GAO maintained its position that the automated controls are needed to ensure ICE personnel activate cameras in accordance with agency policy.
CBP received three recommendations: update its program plan, implement results-oriented performance goals and measures, and ensure that U.S. Border Patrol, the Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine Operations, and the Office of Professional Responsibility each implement operational guidance for body cameras.
ICE received four recommendations: to update its program management plans, implement results-oriented goals and measures, implement additional controls such as automated camera-activation technology, and ensure Homeland Security Investigations implements operational guidance; DHS did not agree to implement the automated activation controls.
Without updated program plans, performance measures, and operational guidance, both agencies lack the infrastructure to demonstrate that their body camera programs are working as intended, and the disputed automated-activation recommendation leaves a compliance gap that DHS has declined to close.
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