FOCUS Act
Senator Booker Proposes Bill Requiring Body Cameras for All Federal Immigration and Border Officers
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Senator Booker introduced a bill that would require every federal officer or private contractor working on immigration enforcement to wear a body camera while on duty. These cameras must be equipped with automatic activation, GPS location tracking, and wireless video uploading.
- The government would be required to keep all recorded footage for at least one year. If the video shows an arrest, a use of force, or if a person involved files a complaint, the footage must be saved for at least three years.
- People who are captured in the videos, or their legal representatives and family members, would have the right to request and receive copies of the footage. The bill also allows the general public to request videos through standard government record-sharing procedures.
- Officers who fail to follow the rules or intentionally turn off their cameras could face discipline, including being fired. The Department of Homeland Security would also have to release a yearly public report detailing how many times officers broke these rules and what happened to them as a result.
- This policy aims to increase transparency and accountability by ensuring there is a clear video record of interactions between federal immigration agents and the public.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Federal law enforcement officers engaged in immigration enforcement would be directly required to wear and operate body cameras at all times while on duty. This is a significant new workplace requirement with real consequences — officers who fail to comply face written reprimands, suspension, or other discipline, and those who intentionally turn off cameras could be fired. On the other hand, officers could also request extended retention of footage that shows they acted properly, which could protect them from false accusations.
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
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Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
FOCUS Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(2)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.