ICE Needs More Cash for Bodycams, Not Less 'Crackdown'
The Associated Press reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requires additional congressional funding to expand body camera use, even as a U.S. District Judge mandated cam usage during Chicago 'crackdowns.' Shawn Byers, Deputy Field Office Director for ICE, testified that only two field offices have cameras. ($0.98B of the $8.15B Homeland Security received for immigration
enforcement in FY2023 was allocated for 'operations and support,' according to DHS budget documents.) So, the concern isn't about the combative tactics already cited by complaints and observed by protestors, but whether those tactics are recorded. How many 'crackdowns' will be deemed necessary before the public questions the crackdown itself, rather than just the lack of body camera footage? One
might wonder if the 'need' for more funding for oversight distracts from asking who profits most from these ever-expanding enforcement operations.