White House border czar Tom Homan stated on Sunday, July 19, 2026, that "I think body cameras are the way to go" in response to fatal shootings by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Texas and Maine earlier this month.

On July 7, an ICE officer shot and killed a Mexican national in Houston, Texas, who had lived in the U.S. for decades. Days later, another ICE officer fatally shot a Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine. In both incidents, the officers involved were not wearing body cameras.

Speaking on "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan, Homan emphasized the importance of body cameras, saying, "I think body cameras let the American people know what that officer sees when he takes that action." He added that while cellphone cameras and city surveillance exist, "I want the American people to see what that officer sees when he makes the decision and takes an action."

Following the Houston shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that body cameras had been deployed to more than half of ICE's field offices, with the remaining offices expected to receive them within 60 days.

Funding for body cameras has been a point of contention. Democrats approved $20 million for body cameras in April as part of funding for the department, but Homan said this amount "wasn't enough." Subsequently, Republicans approved a roughly $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of the Trump administration. Homan noted, "It didn't fund everything, but now we have the funding after reconciliation."

Homan also criticized delays in full body camera deployment, stating, "Everybody in ICE would have a camera now if the government wasn't shut down by Democratic members of Congress."

Sources