Acting ICE chief knocks AP for ‘misleading’ report on body cam policy

Administration Acting ICE chief knocks AP for ‘misleading’ report on body cam policy Comments: by Finya Swai - 08/08/26 4:14 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 08/08/26 4:14 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director David Venturella accused the Associated Press on Saturday of misreporting his agency’s body camera policy in an article on how ICE decides what footage may be released to the public.

Venturella alleged the report, published Friday, incorrectly portrayed a provision governing the expedited release of footage after serious injuries or deaths as a broader restriction on ICE’s ability to release the recordings.

“The AP fundamentally mischaracterized ICE’s body-worn camera policy by conflating the expedited release of footage following a serious bodily injury or death in custody with ICE’s broader authority to release body-worn camera footage,” the director said in a statement. “Those are distinct issues.”

The AP reported that ICE’s policy, issued February 2025, states the agency will only publicize footage from serious encounters in an expedited manner if its release is deemed in the agency’s “best interests.”

The provision also specifies that the director may delay the public release of incident footage if there are “specific and compelling circumstances” for doing so, according to the AP.

The AP cited experts who argued the language could allow ICE to selectively release footage that portrays the agency favorably, while withholding footage that could generate backlash.

Veturella rejected that characterization, saying the guideline is meant to determine whether the footage should receive an expedited release — within 72 hours of an incident — rather than establish the agency’s overall authority to make recordings public.

“ICE policy permits expedited release when appropriate — and clarifies that it’s not appropriate to release footage when doing so could compromise investigations or privacy,” Venturella said. “This approach mirrors other federal law enforcement agencies’ policies and is fully consistent with the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.”

He continued: “At the same time, we’re committed to transparency and accountability, and we’re on track to equip every officer and agent in the field with body-worn cameras by the end of August, ahead of our original timeline.”

The dispute comes as ICE rapidly expands its use of body cameras following recent fatal shootings involving immigration officers in Maine and Houston, mounting calls from lawmakers for greater transparency amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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