(The Center Square) – Citing transparency, congressional Democrats proposed a law Tuesday that would prohibit federal immigration authorities from covering their faces in many situations.
The proposal follows months of civil unrest over President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The administration has faced criticism over federal agents making headlines with masked raids in unmarked tactical gear. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., says the operations have sown fear and mistrust and believes that to fix this, immigration agents must clearly identify themselves.
He proposed the Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act of 2025 to correct what Democrats see as a dangerous trend. Several others, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., joined Padilla in introducing the bill.
“When federal immigration agents show up and pull someone off the street in plainclothes with their face obscured and no visible identification,” Padilla wrote in a news release. “It only escalates tensions and spreads fear while shielding federal agents from basic accountability.”
If approved, the VISIBLE Act would require immigration officers to clearly display their agency and last name or badge number on their outermost garment. It also prohibits ants from wearing nonmedical face coverings, “with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations.”
Padilla said it aligns with local law enforcement agencies, who also require clear identification in certain areas. Another section requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to discipline immigration agents who violate the law, with annual reports to Congress on compliance.
DHS officials often cite the use of plainclothes and tactical gear as precautionary measures for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The department recently reported that attacks against ICE agents have increased by 500%, highlighting the dangers they can face on patrol.
“The VISIBLE Act would simply require immigration enforcement officers to display their badge number and agency, and ensure that masked agents aren’t whisking people off the streets,” Murray wrote in a news release. “This is a commonsense step that is badly needed as the Trump administration does everything it can to stoke fear and terror in immigrant communities.”
Murray said people in her home state of Washington have told her “about the pervasive sense of fear and alarm” that masked agents create. She and Padilla say it creates a situation where impersonators on the sidelines can exploit panic and confusion caused by enforcement action.
According to reporting by Reuters, border czar Tom Homan said in May that the administration had deported about 200,000 people since January. While border crossings dropped dramatically over that period, deportations still fell short compared to a similar period under former President Joe Biden, who had removed around 257,000 people from February through May of last year.
Over 11 million people illegally entered the U.S. under Biden from 2021 through February 2024.
“For weeks, Americans have watched federal agents with no visible identification detain people off the streets and instill fear in communities,” Booker wrote in a news release. “ We must act to maintain trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and this legislation is a necessary step toward a more transparent, accountable, and safe immigration enforcement system.”
