Amid growing demands by Democrats to overhaul U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after federal immigration officials killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in early February 2026 that agents in Minneapolis will be issued body-worn cameras .
联邦移民官员在明尼苏达州杀害两名美国公民后，民主党人越来越要求彻底改革美国移民和海关执法部门，国土安全部部长克里斯蒂·诺姆 (Kristi Noem) 于 2026 年 2 月上旬表示，将为明尼阿波利斯的特工发放随身摄像头。
But can body cameras on federal officials provide the transparency and accountability the public is demanding from agents with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection?
但是，联邦官员身上的随身摄像头能否提供公众要求 ICE 和美国海关与边境保护局特工提供的透明度和问责制呢？
As a public policy scholar , I have analyzed the existing body-worn camera policy for ICE agents. And I’ve compared this policy to dozens of other state and local body camera policies, in an effort to investigate the rationales for their use .
作为一名公共政策学者，我分析了 ICE 执法人员现有的随身摄像头政策。 我将此政策与其他数十个州和地方的随身相机政策进行了比较，以调查其使用的理由。
Whether ICE’s body camera policy can provide transparency and accountability depends, I believe, on the policy itself and the enforcement of that policy. ICE’s use of body cameras could improve the agency’s legitimacy in the eyes of the public.
我认为，ICE 的随身摄像头政策能否提供透明度和问责制取决于政策本身以及该政策的执行。 ICE 使用随身摄像头可以提高该机构在公众眼中的合法性。
But as I’ve seen with other police body camera policies, there’s a risk that camera footage may obscure actual events. It’s also possible that the strategic release of footage may undermine transparency .
但正如我在其他警察随身摄像机政策中看到的那样，摄像机镜头可能会掩盖实际事件。 战略性地发布镜头也可能会破坏透明度。
Police body cameras were first used in the United States in 2012 by the Rialto Police Department in California . By 2020, their use had expanded to over 62% of local law enforcement agencies , covering 79% of local police officers nationwide .
警察执法记录仪于 2012 年由加利福尼亚州里亚托警察局首次在美国使用。 到2020年，其使用范围已扩大到62%以上的地方执法机构，覆盖全国79%的地方警务人员。
That expansion was, in part, a response to growing criticism over stop-and-frisk tactics – in which police temporarily detain people for weapons searches when a crime is suspected – and police-involved shootings of people of color .
这种扩张在一定程度上是为了回应人们对拦截搜查策略（即当怀疑有犯罪行为时警察暂时拘留人员进行武器搜查）以及警察参与枪杀有色人种的批评。
Body camera policies vary greatly between municipalities. Some policies make body cameras useful accountability tools, like those of Parker, Colorado , which uses cameras for evidence collection and ensuring officer adherence to policy rather than as surveillance technology.
各个城市的执法记录仪政策差异很大。 一些政策使随身摄像头成为有用的问责工具，例如科罗拉多州帕克市的政策，该机构使用摄像头收集证据并确保官员遵守政策，而不是作为监视技术。
Others, meanwhile, provide broad discretion for officers to choose when to activate their body cameras, such as Colorado Springs’ policy . Allowing officers to decide when to use their cameras can limit the availability of evidence.
与此同时，其他一些政策则为警员提供了广泛的自由裁量权，以选择何时启动随身摄像头，例如科罗拉多斯普林斯的政策。 允许警察决定何时使用摄像头可能会限制证据的可用性。
I believe there are four crucial elements of a body camera policy that can ensure that ICE agents properly use the technology.
我相信执法记录仪政策有四个关键要素可以确保 ICE 特工正确使用该技术。
Body camera quality has improved over the past decade. But the battery life of many models prevents continuous recording throughout a 10-hour shift.
过去十年来，执法记录仪的质量得到了提高。 但许多型号的电池寿命限制了其在 10 小时轮班期间的连续记录。
Instead, law enforcement officials often manually activate their body cameras . Thus, to effectively promote accountability, a strong policy would require ICE agents to activate their body cameras before they interact with the public.
相反，执法人员经常手动启动随身摄像头。 因此，为了有效促进问责制，一项强有力的政策将要求 ICE 特工在与公众互动之前启动随身摄像头。
A 2016 study found that, without mandatory camera-activation policies, officers often fail to activate their cameras.
2016 年的一项研究发现，如果没有强制摄像头激活政策，警员往往无法激活摄像头。
The current ICE body-worn camera policy , issued in February 2025, lists enforcement activities that require recording. They include executing arrest warrants, frisks of individuals and “ responding to public, unlawful/violent disturbances at ICE facilities .”
目前 ICE 执法记录仪政策于 2025 年 2 月发布，列出了需要记录的执法活动。 其中包括执行逮捕令、搜查个人以及“应对 ICE 设施中的公众非法/暴力骚乱”。
But the list does not include mandatory activation during vehicle pursuits or the transportation of people to detention facilities. Recording inside detention facilities is strictly prohibited by the policy.
但该清单不包括在车辆追捕或将人员运送到拘留设施期间的强制启动。 该政策严格禁止在拘留设施内录音。
As proposed by the Police Executive Research Forum , a nonprofit that promotes policing professionalism, body cameras must continue to record until an encounter with a member of the public has concluded and agents have left the scene.
正如警察执行研究论坛（一个促进警务专业精神的非营利组织）所提议的那样，随身摄像机必须持续记录，直到与公众的接触结束并且特工离开现场。
The current ICE body-worn camera policy states that agents “should only deactivate the BWC when the scene is secure as determined by the supervisor or team leader.”
目前的 ICE 随身摄像头政策规定，特工“只有在主管或团队领导确定现场安全时才应停用 BWC”。
While robust policies, such as that of the Chicago Police Department, require continued recording during the transportation of detained people, the ICE body camera policy does not. This creates the potential for critical moments to go unrecorded.
虽然芝加哥警察局等强有力的政策要求在运送被拘留者期间持续进行记录，但 ICE 随身摄像头政策却没有。 这使得关键时刻有可能未被记录下来。
Many body camera models come equipped with facial recognition technology. But many local police department policies prohibit its use due to privacy and surveillance concerns.
许多执法记录仪型号都配备了面部识别技术。 但出于隐私和监控方面的考虑，许多当地警察部门的政策禁止其使用。
ICE uses facial recognition technology during immigration enforcement operations, but in 2020 lawmakers raised concerns that body camera facial recognition could dissuade citizens from protesting out of fear of retribution.
ICE 在移民执法行动中使用面部识别技术，但在 2020 年，立法者担心随身摄像头面部识别可能会阻止公民因担心遭到报复而进行抗议。
As protests against ICE immigration enforcement continue, it’s known that the agency uses facial recognition technology on peaceful protesters and observers. Existing ICE policy prevents the use of facial recognition on “live BWC recordings,” meaning while the interaction is taking place. Facial recognition is permitted on body camera footage after the interaction has concluded.
随着针对 ICE 移民执法的抗议活动持续进行，众所周知，该机构对和平抗议者和观察员使用面部识别技术。 现有的 ICE 政策禁止在“实时 BWC 录音”（即交互发生时）使用面部识别。 互动结束后，允许在随身摄像机镜头上进行面部识别。
In early February 2026, Democratic lawmakers introduced a measure that would prohibit the use of facial recognition by ICE and CBP agents. That ban would extend to facial recognition features on body cameras .
2026 年 2 月上旬，民主党立法者提出了一项措施，禁止 ICE 和 CBP 特工使用面部识别技术。 该禁令将延伸至随身相机上的面部识别功能。
Policy is only as strong as its enforcement.
政策的有效性取决于其执行力度。
Policymakers could consider strengthening submission forms for ICE use-of-force and civil rights violation complaints .
政策制定者可以考虑加强 ICE 使用武力和侵犯公民权利投诉的提交表格。
Thorough investigation of complaints and reviews of body camera footage could be handled by an external review board . The Office of the Inspector General , responsible for investigating allegations of excessive force by ICE agents, could also conduct reviews.
对投诉的彻底调查和随身摄像机录像的审查可以由外部审查委员会来处理。 负责调查 ICE 特工过度使用武力指控的监察长办公室也可以进行审查。
Body cameras will not deter violence committed by ICE agents unless policies clearly dictate their use. For body cameras to function as transparency and accountability tools, I believe wrongdoing would have to be swiftly and consistently penalized. This would highlight the consequences of noncompliance with body-worn camera policies.
随身摄像头不会阻止 ICE 特工实施的暴力行为，除非政策明确规定其使用。 为了使随身摄像机发挥透明度和问责工具的作用，我认为必须迅速而一致地对不当行为进行惩罚。 这将凸显不遵守随身相机政策的后果。