BOSTON (WHDH) - Democratic state lawmakers gathered in Boston are preparing new laws to have United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents remove their masks and show their faces.
Lawmakers say the widespread practice of ICE agents wearing masks during immigration enforcement operations is designed to intimidate immigrants who are often wanted for minor offenses.
ICE says attacks on their agents are up and the masks are a response to the attacks.
On Tuesday, state lawmakers from New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts announced plans for legislation that would require federal agents to go unmasked, unless they are involved in an undercover operation or arresting dangerous criminals.
“We have seen unmarked cars, unmarked agents as well as masks or other disguises. We are looking for more accountability, more transparency,” said New York Senator Patricia Fahy.
“The process is you’d pass it and it would be challenged? Oh, of course it would. Of course, of course. But that doesn’t mean you don’t say anything. This is an important issue. We have people being disappeared. Nobody knows where they went, who took them,” said Representative Jim Hawkins.
The Department of Homeland Security is pushing back on the legislation, saying, “While our officers and agents risk everything for others, rogue activists and media mouthpieces recklessly push false narratives and dangerous misinformation, placing their political agenda above all else. This climate of hostility doesn’t just encourage criminals; it puts our agents and officers at greater risk.”
Unmasking legislation is also being pursued at the national level in congress. However, state law makers say they may have a better chance passing the legislation in democratic majority states like Massachusetts.
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