Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said on Monday that two migrants killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in recent days “would be alive today” if they had complied with orders. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Mr Homan stated that “everything comes down to a simple fact: these people did not obey the orders of the authorities,” referring to the fatal shootings of a Mexican national in Texas and a Colombian national in Maine during vehicle stops.

The incidents have intensified scrutiny of ICE’s lack of body-worn cameras. Mr Homan said he wants cameras deployed “as soon as possible” and that equipment had been purchased, with trainers being trained. He blamed Democrats in Congress for delaying funding, a claim that a group of Democratic senators and Maine independent Senator Angus King rejected in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, arguing the department “has had more than sufficient time and funding.” The senators noted that acting ICE director David Venturella had committed to having cameras in place by the end of July. The White House spokesperson had earlier said all agents would wear cameras by September, but Mr Homan declined to give a firm date.

Mr Homan also addressed earlier deaths in Minnesota, saying he did not believe many of those incidents were “mistakes,” and warned that “if the hateful rhetoric doesn’t stop, there will be bloodshed.” He accused unnamed members of Congress of calling ICE agents “fascists and Nazis” and said he feared an agent would be killed. Meanwhile, a third death emerged: a Mexican tourist, Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, was struck by a truck on 15 July in Florida while fleeing ICE agents, according to the community organization Colectivo Árbol. He had been in the United States for two days and held a return ticket.

Mr Homan confirmed that all vehicle stops must now involve at least one officer with a working body camera, and that the cameras must be on for the duration of the stop. He said the FBI would continue to lead shooting investigations, denying a report that its role had been curtailed. The administration has not announced further policy changes, and the investigation into the Maine shooting, including the vetting of the officer involved, is ongoing.