A new bill from Democratic lawmakers would require ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to wear clear identification during public immigration enforcement actions. The bill also bans most face coverings for these agents.
Called the VISIBLE Act, it demands that federal immigration officers show legible IDs that include their name or badge number and the agency they work for. The bill applies to ICE, CBP, and any state or local officers helping with immigration enforcement.
Senators Alex Padilla (California) and Cory Booker (New Jersey) introduced the bill on Tuesday. Padilla said, “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.”
He added, “Immigration agents should be required to display their agency and name or badge number — just like police and other local law enforcement agencies. The VISIBLE Act’s commonsense requirements will restore transparency and ensure impersonators can’t exploit the panic and confusion caused by unidentifiable federal immigration enforcement agents.”
The bill also asks the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to set disciplinary rules for agents who break these ID rules. DHS would have to report yearly to Congress on compliance and handle complaints through its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
Right now, ICE agents do not have to wear body cameras or show their badge numbers. They often use unmarked cars and cover their faces during raids. This has led to growing criticism, especially as some ICE operations have mistakenly targeted people with legal documents.
The White House slammed the bill, accusing Democrats of attacking “heroic ICE officers.” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said, “ICE officers are facing a nearly 700% increase in assaults because of unhinged, dangerous rhetoric from Democrats. ICE officers are being doxed, physically assaulted, and attacked – in some cases, their families are even being threatened. 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.”
Senator Booker defended the bill, saying, “The VISIBLE Act is a necessary response grounded in law enforcement best practices that will prohibit immigration enforcement officers from wearing face coverings and require them to display their name or badge number and the agency they represent. 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.”
Scott Shuchart, a former ICE and DHS official, called the bill “an important step toward keeping immigration enforcement officers and all the people in America safe. Masked, plainclothes officers create an unreasonable risk of escalating violence and unnerve everyone who sees them.”
It is still unclear if the VISIBLE Act will pass the Senate.
