This bill, the Trust Through Transparency Act of 2025, would require covered immigration officers to wear and operate body cameras during any public-facing immigration enforcement action. It adds a new subsection to section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The bill defines who is a covered immigration officer (including officers and employees of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and deputized or designated individuals). "Public immigration enforcement function" is defined to include patrols, stops, arrests, searches, interviews to determine immigration status, raids, checkpoint inspections, and service of warrants, and excludes covert or non-public operations.
The bill sets rules for video retention: footage must be kept for six months by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then deleted unless it records (A) any use of force, (B) events before and including an arrest for a crime or attempted crime, or (C) an encounter about which a subject files a complaint. Footage can be retained for at least three years if certain people voluntarily request longer retention, including the officer who recorded or who is the subject, a supervising officer, the public subject of the footage, a parent or guardian of a minor subject, a deceased subject's next of kin or designee, or if retained solely for training. The bill also excludes recording devices used for undercover assignments from the definition of body worn camera.
The Secretary of Homeland Security must ensure administrative discipline for officers who fail to comply, which may include written reprimand, suspension, or other personnel actions consistent with agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreement. The bill requires an annual report to specified congressional committees and the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Each annual report must include the total number of public enforcement functions during the period, the number of documented instances of noncompliance, and a summary of disciplinary or remedial actions taken. The report must be posted on the DHS website within 30 days of submission; the Inspector General may redact sensitive information with a justification. The Secretary must also establish an independent advisory panel with expertise in civil rights, privacy, technology, and law enforcement oversight to provide non-binding recommendations on body camera policies.
No publicly available information.
The bill's stated purpose in the text is to require body cameras for public-facing immigration enforcement actions and to promote transparency and accountability.
No publicly available information.