Senate Democrats Propose Bill Requiring Visible IDs, Fewer Masks for Immigration Officers

Sponsors cited public safety and accountability, while the Trump administration said masks protect officers and their families who face increased threats.

ICE agents and federal law enforcement partners arrest a suspected illegal immigrant. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Senate Democrats introduced legislation on July 8 that would require federal immigration officers to wear visible identification during enforcement actions and limit the use of face coverings.

The bill, known as the VISIBLE Act of 2025, is sponsored by Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and 11 other Democrats. It would apply to officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agents engaged in immigration enforcement.

The proposal follows a series of arrests in Los Angeles, some of which the senators noted have been carried out by masked agents.

Padilla and Booker also accused agents of conducting operations in plainclothes, while DHS told The Epoch Times that their officers “wear vests that say ICE/ERO or Homeland Security.”

The bill would require officers to display their name or badge number and the agency they represent. It would also prohibit non-medical face coverings unless needed for covert operations or safety reasons.

“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.

Booker said the bill aims to reduce confusion and strengthen trust between law enforcement and the public.

“Reports of individuals impersonating ICE officers have only increased the risk to public and officer safety,” Booker said.

“The lack of visible identification and uniform standards for immigration enforcement officers has created confusion, stoked fear, and undermined public trust in law enforcement.”

It would also require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish disciplinary procedures, report annually to Congress, and investigate public complaints through its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

The legislation is backed by the 13 Democratic senators and supported by civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Public Counsel, according to the senators.

Administration Responds

In response to the bill, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House said in emailed statements to The Epoch Times that officers need to protect their identities due to safety risks.

“Senator Padilla and Senator Booker have clearly never been on an ICE operation because they would see our officers verbally identify themselves, wear vests that say ICE/ERO or Homeland Security, and are flanked by vehicles that also say the name of the department,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

“When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement. These arguments are getting a little desperate.”

McLaughlin said ICE officers are facing a “nearly 700 percent increase in assaults” and that some have been doxxed (having their personal details leaked publicly) or targeted along with their families. She said protective gear, including face coverings, is sometimes necessary to reduce those risks.

“While ICE officers are being assaulted by rioters and having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them and our CBP officers are being shot, Sanctuary politicians like Alex Padilla and Cory Booker are trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorists,” she added.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson also said the current practices are necessary, referring to the same statistics by DHS that agents are facing a surge in assaults against them and their families.

“Instead of spending their time further demonizing heroic ICE officers, Democrat politicians should dial back the rhetoric and tell their supporters to stop attacking law enforcement,” Jackson added.

The VISIBLE Act was introduced shortly after a June enforcement surge in Los Angeles County. According to Padilla’s office, more than 1,600 illegal immigrants were arrested between June 6 and June 22.

In an interview this week, White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE would “ramp up” arrests nationwide, particularly in sanctuary cities like Los Angeles and New York.

Homan noted that protests and riots erupted in Los Angeles last month over increased immigration enforcement actions, prompting the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops.

Padilla and 13 other Senate Democrats also sent a letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons this week, asking for information on the agency’s uniform and mask policies. The letter cited news reports of individuals posing as ICE agents to commit robberies, and said that a lack of identification “allows criminals to take advantage of this environment of uncertainty.”

The senators asked ICE to respond by July 21.