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Bill to require ICE agents to identify themselves
Senators Alex Padilla and Cory Booker introduced a bill to make ICE agents identify themselves.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Two Democratic U.S. senators on Tuesday introduced a bill to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible ID after many ICE officials have been seen in public arresting people while covering their faces with masks.
What we know:
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced their VISIBLE Act, which stands for the Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement, which they said would strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability for the Trump administration’s "indiscriminate and alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities across California and the nation."
In California, two Democratic senators have introduced a similar bill.
What they're saying:
Lawmakers on both the state and federal levels, say that law enforcement members who hide behind masks and don't clearly identify themselves make it appear as though they are secret police. They also argue that it makes it easier for people to impersonate legitimate police.
"When federal immigration agents show up and pull someone off the street in plainclothes with their face obscured and no visible identification, it only escalates tensions and spreads fear while shielding federal agents from basic accountability," Padilla said in a statement.
Federal agents took a man into custody and fought off protesters outside immigration court in Concord. The operation was conducted by ICE, FBI and IRS agents. June 11, 2025
The other side:
The Trump administration has stated that ICE agents cover their faces for their own safety, especially in light of protesters who want to harass and dox them.
The California bill was specifically criticized by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who told Fox News that the Democratic idea to make ICE agents unmask themselves are the "same people who mandated mask wearing" during COVID.
"It's absurd," he said. "They need to back off of ICE and respect our agents and stop protesting against them," Johnson said. "They're trying to uphold the rule of law, and they don't want to be targeted by Democrat activists. So I'm in favor of whatever protocol."
Padilla noted several instances in California that would apply to the bill, including at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where plainclothes immigration agents parked outside of the stadium lot without identifying themselves.
In Concord, Calif., several officers also were seen arrested immigrants who attended regular court hearings. Several were not wearing shirts or badges that identified themselves.
Dig deeper:
Specifically, the bill would require immigration enforcement officers — including DHS personnel such as Customs and Border Protection and ICE, federal agents detailed to immigration operations, and deputized state or local officers — to display clearly legible identification, including their agency name or initials and either their name or badge number, in a manner that remains visible and unobscured by tactical gear or clothing.
The bill would ban non-medical face coverings that obscure identity or facial visibility, with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations; and mandate that DHS establish disciplinary procedures for violations, report annually to Congress on compliance, and investigate complaints through its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
The bill does not apply to covert or non-public facing operations, and it does not prohibit face coverings when necessary for officer safety. It also does not apply to enforcement actions conducted solely under criminal authority.