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Legislators Advance Measures to Unmask ICE Agents and Enhance Transparency

Supporters say requiring visible name tags, badges and agency insignia during civil immigration operations will rebuild trust in affected communities

Federal agents in the hallways awaiting the detainees exiting the hearings at an immigration court in New York.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 21: Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on July 21, 2025 in New York City. Lawmakers in New York are introducing a bill that would ban law enforcement officers, including federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, from wearing masks. The bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Tony Simone, would be called the Mandating End of Lawless Tactics (MELT) Act. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Michigan House Democrats introduced a bill making non-medical face coverings by ICE and other officers a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine if they fail to display agency, name and badge number
  • An Illinois state bill from Rep. Barbara Hernandez and a Chicago City Council resolution from Aldermen Michael Rodriguez and Andre Vasquez await committee review to mandate ICE agents remove masks and wear clear identification in local enforcement
  • Federal No Anonymity in Immigration Enforcement Act and Senate’s VISIBLE Act remain pending in Congress and would require officers nationwide to display legible identification and limit most mask use
  • Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia and Summer Lee sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem seeking memoranda and directives on ICE mask policies and use of unmarked vehicles over Fourth and Fifth Amendment concerns
  • Advocates warn that masked, unmarked ICE operations have stoked fear in immigrant neighborhoods and enabled impersonation schemes by bad actors