Amid mounting public concern, several states and cities are advancing legislation to ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing masks or disguises during enforcement operations. The proposals follow viral videos of masked ICE officers detaining individuals from unmarked vehicles, sparking comparisons to secret police tactics and fueling fears in immigrant communities.
California, Massachusetts, and New York are considering bills that would prohibit face coverings and require visible ID, including name tags and badge numbers, for federal immigration officers—standards already applied to local police. Similar measures are under review in Chicago and Albuquerque, and 21 Democratic attorneys general have urged Congress to enact nationwide restrictions.
“We have watched these detentions with alarm,” the attorneys general wrote in a letter, arguing that anonymous agents “terrorize communities rather than protect them.”
Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat introduced the No Secret Police Act to address these concerns. Espaillat warned masked agents evoke authoritarian regimes and erode trust.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons defended the practice during a CBS News interview, citing safety risks and doxxing threats, though he acknowledged discomfort with the policy. DHS officials maintain face coverings are used only for protection, not secrecy.
ICE’s budget is poised to expand significantly under Donald Trump‘s proposed legislation, increasing annual funding from $8 billion to $28 billion.
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