Should ICE agents be allowed to mask? Not in Pa., state senators say

Federal immigration agents should have to show their faces while conducting raids and detaining people in Pennsylvania, argue two state senators who have offered up legislation to “unmask these authorities.

Across the nation this year, agents with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been wearing face coverings as they carry out an aggressive illegal immigration crackdown at the behest of President Donald Trump.

Pennsylvania Sens. Amanda Cappelletti and Nikil Saval, both Democrats, have introduced a bill that would prohibit ICE officials from masking while on the job in the commonwealth, saying the practice damages trust in law enforcement and enables police impersonation.

A man impersonating an ICE agent robbed a Philadelphia automobile shop in June after zip-tying the hands of an employee, the senators noted.

“Armed agents, often without clear and visible identification, conducting indiscriminate raids are not making our country safer,” Cappelletti, of Montgomery County, said in a statement. “They’re deepening division.”

Her bill, SB1071, would make it a crime for police officers to conceal their faces while working, except in limited cases like when wearing tactical gear or a surgical mask to prevent disease transmission. The measure would also require officers to display their official badges and show them to people upon request.

The head of ICE has defended his agents for masking, saying they and their families have faced harassment and death threats from people who object to their enforcement activities.

SB1071 is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.