WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Beyond the , people tackled on city streets 鈥� or even a little detained 鈥� the images of has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration enforcement operations.
Not in recent U.S. memory has an American policing operation so consistently its thousands of officers from the public, a development that the believes is important to safeguard employees from online harassment. But experts warn masking serves another purpose, inciting fear in communities, and risks shattering norms, accountability and trust between the police and its citizenry.
Whether to ban the masks 鈥� or allow the masking to continue 鈥� has emerged as a in the debate in Congress over funding Homeland Security ahead of , when it faces a partial agency shutdown.
鈥淗umans read each others鈥� faces 鈥� that鈥檚 how we communicate,鈥� said Justin Smith, a former Colorado sheriff who is executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association.
鈥淲hen you have a number of federal agents involved in these operations, and they can鈥檛 be identified, you can鈥檛 see their face, it just tends to make people uncomfortable,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 bringing up some questions.鈥�
Democrats demand 鈥榤asks off鈥�
Masks on federal agents have been one constant throughout the first year of mass .
What began as a jarring image last spring, when plain-clothed officers surrounded and detained a near her Massachusetts home, has morphed into familiar scenes in , and other cities. The shooting deaths of at the hands of federal immigration officers during demonstrations against ICE raids in Minneapolis sparked widespread public protest and spurred lawmakers to respond.
鈥淐ameras on, masks off鈥� has become a rallying cry among Democrats, who are also insisting the officers wear body cameras as a way to provide greater accountability and oversight of the operations.
told reporters at the Capitol that unmasking the federal agents is a 鈥渉ard red line鈥� in the negotiations ahead.
says on its website that its officers 鈥渨ear masks to prevent doxing, which can (and has) placed them and their families at risk. All ICE law enforcement officers carry badges and credentials and will identify themselves when required for public safety or legal necessity.鈥�
Fueled with funds from the , which poured some $170 billion into Homeland Security, ICE has grown to become operations in the nation. Last year, it announced it had more than doubled its ranks, to 22,000, with rapid hiring 鈥� and . Homeland Security did not respond to an emailed request for further comment.
Most Republicans say the current political climate leaves the immigration officers, many of them new to the job, exposed if their faces and identities are made public.
, said he just can’t agree with Democrats’ demand that officers unmask themselves.
鈥淵ou know, there鈥檚 a lot of vicious people out there, and they鈥檒l take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the reality of the world that we鈥檙e in.鈥�
ICE stands apart with masks
It appears no other policing agency in the country regularly uses masking on a widespread basis. Instead, masks are used during special operations, particularly undercover work or at times during large crowd control or protest situations, and when there is inclement weather or individual health concerns.
Experts said only perhaps during the Ku Klux Klan raids or in the Old West has masking been a more widely used tool.
“It is without precedent in modern American history,鈥� said the American Civil Liberties Union鈥檚 Naureen Shah in Washington.
She said the idea of masked patrols on city streets seeking immigrants can leave people scared and confused about who they are encountering 鈥� which she suggested is part of the point.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 calculated to terrify people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody viscerally feels like, OK, this is something we want to become a permanent fixture in our streets.鈥�
Toward the end of the first Trump administration, Congress sought to clamp down after masked federal agents showed up in 2020 to quell protests in Portland and other cities. A provision requiring agents to clearly identify themselves was tucked into a massive defense authorization bill that Trump signed into law.
Last year, California became to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces. The Trump administration’s , saying the state’s policies 鈥渃reate risk鈥� for the agents.
Police seek middle ground, advocates say unmasking is not enough
Smith, of the sheriffs’ association, said there鈥檚 no easy answer to the current masking debate.
He suggested perhaps a middle ground could be reached 鈥� one that would allow officers to wear masks, but also require their badge or other identifying numbers to be prominently displayed.
Advocates said while unmasking the federal agents would be an important step, other restraints on immigration enforcement operations may be even more so.
They are pushing Congress to curb the ability of ICE officers to rely on administrative warrants in immigration operations, particularly to enter people鈥檚 homes, insisting such actions should be required to use judicial warrants, with sign off from the courts.
There is also an effort to end roving patrols 鈥� the ability of immigration officers to use a person鈥檚 to question their legal status, sometimes called “Kavanaugh stops” after Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion to a last summer.
Greg Chen, senior director of government affairs at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said because Congress gave Homeland Security such robust funding in the tax cuts bill, “That鈥檚 why the policy reforms are so important right now to bring the agency in check.鈥�
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., who recently returned from Minnesota, said the weight of the masked enforcement operation can be felt in ways that impact everyone 鈥� regardless of a person鈥檚 own immigration status.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very a heavy presence of surveillance and intimidation,” she said. 鈥淣o one is exempt.鈥�
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