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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A petition urging Congress to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to "show their face and identification" has surpassed a major milestone.
The online petition hosted on MoveOn's platform calls on lawmakers to pass legislation that would mandate immigration enforcement officers display their agency and badge numbers and refrain from using face coverings that conceal their identities during public operations. At the time of publication, the petition had garnered 151,167 signatures toward a goal of 200,000.
Why It Matters
Supporters of the petition argue that requiring ICE agents to display identification and operate without masks would increase accountability, reduce fear and align federal enforcement with standard police practices. Critics counter that removing masks could increase the risk of doxing, exposing officers to harassment, threats or online targeting, particularly in sensitive operations.
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What To Know
The petition's text said ICE agents operating without visible identification, including in plain clothes or with masked faces, created confusion, fear and potential public safety risks. It called on Congress to require federal immigration agents to operate with transparent identification like other law enforcement officers.
The Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security have repeatedly argued that one reason ICE agents wear masks or conceal identifying information is to protect officers and their families from doxing, the online publication of personal details that could lead to harassment, threats or violence.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has publicly defended the practice, saying agents have been targeted on social media with personal information and death threats, and that unmasking them could increase those risks. Authorities have also pressured companies to remove social media pages or apps, such as the ICEBlock app, which they said were being used to share or track the identities of immigration agents. DHS officials have warned that doxing activity obstructs enforcement operations. At the same time, independent sites such as ICE List have published names and details of ICE personnel compiled.
Several bills in Congress seek to require ICE officers to display identification and limit the use of face coverings during enforcement actions.
The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act—introduced by Senator Alex Padilla of California, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Representative Judy Chu of California, all Democrats—would mandate that ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers clearly show their agency and badge number in public operations. The legislation also includes exceptions for officer safety and covert operations.
Other proposals include the No Masks for ICE Act, sponsored by Democratic Representative Nydia Velázquez of New York, which specifically bars ICE agents from wearing facial coverings during enforcement and requires clear agency identification. The ICE Badge Visibility Act of 2025, introduced by Democratic Representative Grace Meng of New York, would require officers to display badge numbers during arrests or detentions. These bills reflect a growing push in Congress to balance transparency and public accountability with operational safety in federal immigration enforcement.
A federal judge in Los Angeles on February 9 blocked a California state law that would have barred federal immigration agents, including ICE officers, from wearing masks during enforcement actions. The judge ruled that the state law, known as the No Secret Police Act, unfairly singled out federal officers because it did not also apply to state law enforcement and therefore likely violated the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause. However, the same decision allowed a separate California law requiring federal officers to display clear identification showing their agency and badge number.
What People Are Saying
The petition organizer wrote on MoveOn: "ICE agents—without identification—are detaining people in plain clothes and wearing masks—stoking widespread fear, confusion and distrust. This is not normal. And it's not only cowardly, it's dangerous."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told MS Now in February: "No secret police. These guys go around—these people go around with masks. It makes them more brutal. They're never accountable. No one even knows who they are. There should be no masks except in the most of unusual circumstances. You know, some guy's picture was put up by a terrorist group or something. But there should be no masks."
White House border czar Tom Homan told CBS News: "I don't like the masks either, but because threats against ICE officers, you know, are up over 1,500 percent—actual assaults and threats are up over 8,000 percent—these men and women have to protect themselves. As far as identifying themselves, they all have placards identifying themselves as ICE, ERO, HSI, DEA, FBI, so they all have placards on them. So I'll let the White House and members of Congress, you know, fight that out. But I think some of the asks are just—I think they're unreasonable because there is no racial profiling. There is identifying marks, but masks, you know, why don't they talk about maybe passing legislation to make it illegal to dox agents or something like that? But the masks right now are for officer safety reasons."
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