ICE claims repeatedly undercut by video. Most agents still don’t have body cams.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - While video evidence has become key in revealing the facts surrounding federal immigration enforcement operations and the tactics that surround them, thousands of federal agents still do not have body cameras. 

No body cameras for thousands of ICE agents 

By the numbers:

As democratic lawmakers call for increased transparency surrounding the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, the head of ICE, Todd Lyons, revealed earlier this month that roughly 3,000 out of 13,000 agents were issued a body camera during recent immigration operations. 

Video evidence played a crucial role in revealing what happened when immigration agents used force against the public during operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and, most recently, Minneapolis.

The FOX 9 Investigators reviewed more than two dozen encounters with federal immigration agents where video has either contradicted the Trump administration’s narratives or provided important context about the encounters.

"It’s hard to even wrap your mind around sometimes how false the claims are by Border Patrol and ICE specifically, and the Department of Homeland Security more generally," said Rachel Moran, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas. 

Border Patrol accused of lying under oath about shooting of Venezuelan man 

What they're saying:

When a Border Patrol agent shot a Venezuelan man in the leg in north Minneapolis last month, the Department of Homeland Security made a social media post within hours, claiming its officer had been "ambushed and attacked." 

"What we saw was three individuals weaponized shovels and brooms and attacking an ICE officer that had to defend himself," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. 

DHS never mentioned body camera video. However, third-party surveillance footage later contradicted testimony from two Border Patrol agents as the government pursued – and then dropped – assault charges against the Venezuelan man. 

Both Border Patrol agents are now under investigation by the Department of Justice for lying under oath. 

Videos provide important context to fatal ICE shootings in Minneapolis 

Why you should care:

Cell phone videos led to widespread outrage and calls for more transparency following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Then Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino announced during a press conference within hours of Pretti’s killing that he had "approached U.S. Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun." 

While Pretti possessed a license to conceal carry a firearm, video recorded by a bystander revealed Pretti was holding a phone – not a gun – when he encountered agents. 

Federal judge admonishes government’s ‘widespread misrepresentations’ 

Dig deeper:

Immigration officials have consistently defended their operations from Minneapolis to Chicago. 

During a sworn deposition, Bovino described the level of force used during the surge in Chicago as "more than exemplary." 

However, a federal judge said in a November ruling that DHS’s "widespread misrepresentations" call into question everything the government says it is doing. 

Video contradicts government’s story about Chicago immigration surge 

The backstory:

That judge found body camera footage from the Chicago operation repeatedly undermined the agents’ justification for using force against the public, including when they deployed pepperballs and chemical irritants at what they described as an "increasingly hostile crowd." 

However, body camera video later showed the protesters were "simply standing there." 

"They’ve reviewed the videos, judge after judge has come to this conclusion that these operations are clearly outside the normal practice of any law enforcement agency," said Gil Kerlikowske, the former Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection. 

Earlier this month, a Chicago woman filed a lawsuit against DHS after body camera video showed what actually happened when she was shot multiple times by Border Patrol.

Agents initially claimed Marimar Martinez rammed them with her car but the video – which a judge ordered DHS release – revealed the agent was the one who steered into her. 

"Officers might misperceive something in the heat of the moment, sure," Moran said. "But when you have the head of Border Patrol or the Secretary of Homeland Security just making demonstrably false claims that literally anyone who watches the video can see is untrue, it’s hard to figure out what the strategy is."