Reuters · October 15, 2026

GAO Recommends Automatic Activation for ICE Body Cameras; Department of Homeland Security Rejects Recommendation

• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Wednesday recommending that U.S. immigration officials use technology that would automatically activate body-worn cameras when an officer pulls a weapon or sets off a car siren, according to the report.
• The GAO report said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection should improve body-worn camera program management, and that the agencies have not updated their program plans since 2024 and 2022, respectively.
• The report covered the period from February 2025 to September 2026 and recommended that ICE implement additional controls to make sure cameras are activated, according to the report.
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in comments cited in the GAO report that it did not agree with the automatic-activation recommendation, citing privacy and operational risks, including inadvertent or false activations and the possible recording of informants, victims or bystanders.
• A DHS spokesperson said on Wednesday that ICE had acquired devices to equip all officers and agents with body cameras and that required training remained ongoing, according to the report.

Recommendation, agency plan dates and DHS comments via the GAO report, cited in the original report; DHS spokesperson statement also cited in the original report. Original headline: "US rejects recommendation for ICE body cams to be automatically activated".