In response to a rise in arrests by federal immigration agents using unmarked vehicles and concealing their identities, some California Democrats are backing a new bill in Congress aimed at preventing officials from wearing face coverings during raids.
The legislation, known as “There are no masks for ICE acts,” was introduced by Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-New York) and has garnered support from over twelve other Democrats. It seeks to make it illegal for federal agents to mask their faces while carrying out immigration enforcement unless necessary for health or safety reasons.
Moreover, the bill stipulates that agents must prominently display their names and agency affiliations on their clothing during arrest and enforcement activities.
Representative Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), a co-sponsor of the bill, argued that it would ensure federal agents are held to the same accountability standards as California police uniforms, which have required the display of names and badge numbers for over three decades.
“If an agent is masked and anonymous, there’s no accountability,” Friedman stated. “This isn’t how democracy functions. It’s not reflective of our country.”
The bill also mandates the Department of Homeland Security to create disciplinary procedures for officers who don’t adhere to these rules, ensuring yearly reports to Congress.
A spokesperson for DHS did not quickly respond to inquiries regarding the bill, although the department has previously highlighted an uptick in threats against immigration agents.
Notably, the bill lacks any Republican co-sponsors, making its chances of gaining traction in a GOP-controlled environment quite slim.
“I think some Republicans are probably hearing similar concerns from their constituents,” Friedman remarked, expressing hope that they might share fears about government overreach and the concept of a “deep state” to rally support for the legislation.
The bill’s introduction follows incidents where masked federal agents, dressed in civilian clothes or camouflage and driving unmarked vehicles, managed to avoid displaying any identifying information during numerous immigration raids in Southern California. Social media has been flooded with videos capturing instances of agents aggressively detaining individuals, including taco stand vendors and deploying smoke bombs into crowds.
This troubling trend has coincided with a rise in impersonations of federal immigration officials. Recently, police arrested a man in Huntington Park who drove a Dodge Durango SUV with flashing lights and impersonated a border patrol agent.
In another instance, a 37-year-old man in Raleigh, North Carolina, allegedly posed as an immigration officer to lure a woman into a Motel 6, threatening deportation if she didn’t comply with his demands.
In Houston, police apprehended a man who pretended to be an ICE agent to execute a fake traffic stop, rob another driver, and steal their identity.
Burbank Mayor Nikki Perez voiced her concerns, questioning how anyone could trust a masked individual claiming to be an immigration agent: “How can I know if the masked man restraining me is an ICE agent or a fraud?”
These incidents reached a critical point last weekend when a confrontation occurred at a museum in Burbank, where a man approached a woman, asserting he was a federal immigration agent after checking her documents. Though staff and other patrons intervened, the occurrence left a lingering sense of fear and uncertainty.
“Why do we hold local law enforcement to such high standards while federal immigration officials operate without accountability?” Perez added.
The House legislation follows a similar proposal made by State Senator Scott Wiener in Sacramento last month, which seeks to prohibit immigration agents from wearing masks. However, it remains unclear if the state possesses the authority to regulate the actions or uniforms of federal agents.
