 "Law enforcement officers, including HSI and ICE agents, take people into custody at an immigration court in Phoenix, Arizona, US, May 21, 2025. File Image/Reuters")
Multiple Democratic lawmakers, civil rights advocates, and state leaders have raised concerns about what they describe as secretive and unaccountable conduct by federal immigration agents, who frequently operate in plain clothes, without visible badges or agency identifiers, and with faces obscured by masks or balaclavas.
The concern has led to the introduction of multiple bills in Congress and state legislatures, including the No Anonymity in Immigration Enforcement Act and the VISIBLE Act — short for Visible Identification for Support of Effective Law Enforcement.
These proposals, introduced by Democratic lawmakers including US Senator Alex Padilla of California and US Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, seek to restrict the use of facial coverings by federal agents during immigration operations and enforce transparency in how the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducts arrests and detentions.
The federal bills mandate that officers display clear and visible identification, including their agency name and either their badge number or full name.
The proposed legislation also seeks to ban the use of face coverings, such as masks and balaclavas, that obscure the identity of the officers, unless a threat to personal safety or public health justifies their use.
In such exceptional situations, the use of a mask must be reviewed and documented by a supervisor within 48 hours, with provisions for disciplinary action if found inappropriate.
Public fear over anonymous ICE ops
The issue has sparked lawsuits, particularly following high-profile raids and arrests that have taken place without visible law enforcement identification.
ICE agents have conducted such operations outside courthouses, restaurants, schools and workplaces, often wearing plain clothes and concealing their identities. Critics argue that these actions have instilled widespread fear and mistrust, especially in immigrant communities.
A group of 18 states, including California, filed a legal challenge in federal court, calling for a temporary restraining order against recent ICE enforcement actions, particularly those in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit argues that the lack of clear identification and aggressive tactics compromise public safety by making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate law enforcement officers and possible impersonators.
“The confusion and distrust sown by defendants’ unlawful law enforcement practices has thus compromised public safety,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit further claims that such operations have made cooperation with local law enforcement more difficult, as the public is unsure whether those conducting stops are officers or criminals posing as federal agents.
California state law already requires officers in uniform to wear a badge, nameplate, or device that clearly displays their identity.
But state laws cannot regulate the conduct of federal officers, limiting the ability of local governments to hold masked ICE agents accountable if something goes wrong.
In one incident, Padilla himself was forcibly removed and briefly handcuffed by federal agents at a public event after attempting to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about enforcement tactics.
ICE, DHS justify masks citing threats
While lawmakers and civil rights advocates demand transparency, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have defended the use of masks and anonymity, citing serious security threats faced by officers.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has been vocal in defending his agency’s practices. “We ran an operation where ICE officers were doxed,” Lyons said at a press briefing.
“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 agency has pointed to a steep rise in assaults against ICE officers, with DHS reporting a 700 per cent increase in such incidents.
According to Fox News, ICE documented 10 assault events between January 21 and June 30, 2024, compared to 79 in the same period in 2025. This surge has only increased the agency’s insistence on operational anonymity.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi, testifying before a Senate subcommittee, acknowledged that she had not been aware that agents were concealing their faces while performing arrests.
However, she did not oppose the practice, stating: “I can assure you that if they’re covering their faces now, it’s to protect themselves. But they also want to protect all citizens.”
DHS policy currently requires federal agents to identify themselves during an arrest “as soon as it is practical and safe to do so.”
This guideline, however, is seen by critics as too ambiguous to ensure proper accountability in real-time operations.
Mass deportations ramp up
The controversy over ICE’s tactics comes as the Trump administration has ramped up its immigration enforcement efforts, aiming to remove large numbers of undocumented immigrants from the country.
Despite the uptick in arrests, many of those detained in recent operations across cities like Los Angeles reportedly had no criminal records.
Opponents of the raids have questioned the logic and fairness of using aggressive, militarised tactics — such as unmarked vehicles, concealed identities, and surprise raids — to detain individuals with no prior criminal background.
Civil liberties advocates argue that the presence of masked and unidentified officers in public spaces echoes tactics used in authoritarian regimes and erodes trust in democratic institutions.
“Storming courthouses, grabbing students off the street, raiding places of work, and sweeping through restaurants at prime dining hours are in and of themselves tactics clearly designed to engender fear and sow chaos in the population,” read a letter sent by Padilla and 13 other Democratic senators to ICE Director Todd Lyons.
“Doing so in plainclothes, with no identification of their name or agency, while wearing a mask designed to obscure the agent’s face, represents a clear attempt to compound that fear and chaos – and to avoid accountability for agents’ actions.”
Federal legislation stalls bill
While the bills introduced by Padilla, Booker, and others aim to bring transparency to immigration enforcement, they face steep political hurdles. The No Anonymity in Immigration Enforcement Act has not gained traction among Republican lawmakers, and no GOP co-sponsor has yet joined the effort.
Without bipartisan support, the bill has little chance of passing in the current Congress.
On the state level, California Democrats introduced the No Secret Police Act, which would require officers operating in the state to provide clear identification and ban the use of masks in most situations.
However, such a law cannot override federal jurisdiction, meaning that ICE agents conducting operations in California could still legally wear masks unless Congress acts to change federal law.
With inputs from agencies