Senate Democrats introduce legislation seeking to ban ICE agents from wearing masks during arrests

A group of Democratic senators on Tuesday introduced a bill that seeks to ban Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face masks while on duty, including when conducting raids and arresting illegal migrants.

The legislation comes after video footage emerged of ICE officials arresting migrants while concealing their identities including when wearing plainclothes that do not identify them as federal agents, according to The Guardian.

The bill, introduced by Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Alex Padilla of California, would require federal immigration officials to publicly display their agency's initials like ICE or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with either their name or badge number. It would also ban agents from wearing face masks for nonmedical reasons.

“Members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials,” Padilla said in a statement. “This lack of transparency endangers public safety by causing confusion, fear and mistrust, especially in communities already subjected to heightened immigration scrutiny. 

"It also increases risks for law enforcement personnel by creating uncertainty in high-stress situations, particularly when individuals cannot distinguish real officers from impersonators," he added.

ICE has not publicly responded to the legislation so far, but acting-ICE Director Todd Lyons previously declined to change the rules on mask wearing because of doxxing concerns.

“We ran an operation where ICE officers were doxxed,” Lyons said. “People are out there taking photos of the names and their faces and posting them online with death threats to their family and themselves, so I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks but I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line and their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is.”

The bill comes as Trump administration officials urge Democrats to tone down anti-ICE rhetoric after at least two shootings at ICE facilities took place in Texas over the past week.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.