Official Release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced today that he has introduced legislation to prohibit immigration enforcement officers from concealing their identities while conducting enforcement actions in public.
Under the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy, Department of Homeland Security officers have conducted public enforcement operations while concealing their identities with unmarked tactical gear and face coverings.
Without visible badges, names, or insignia, the public is often unable to determine whether federal officers are interacting with legitimate government officials.
This lack of transparency jeopardizes public safety by causing widespread confusion and fear, particularly in communities already under intense immigration scrutiny. It also gives people the opportunity to impersonate immigration officers, which can exacerbate high-stress situations.
“Trump letting masked immigration agents in plain clothes abduct people from public spaces is straight out of an authoritarian playbook,” Wyden claimed. “These public abductions are sowing fear and distrust in the hearts of our communities.
We must ensure that federal agents display visible identification in order to restore transparency, maintain public trust, and begin repairing America’s broken immigration system.”
The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement (VISIBLE) Act of 2025 would increase oversight, transparency, and accountability for the Trump administration’s terror campaign against immigrant communities across Oregon and the country.
The VISIBLE Act would:
Require immigration enforcement officers — including DHS personnel such as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal agents detailed to immigration operations, and deputized state or local officers — to display clearly legible identification, including their agency name or initials and either their name or badge number, in a manner that remains visible and unobscured by tactical gear or clothing.
Prohibits non-medical face coverings, such as masks or balaclavas, which obscure identity or facial visibility, with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations.
Requires Homeland Security to establish disciplinary procedures for violations, report annually to Congress on compliance, and investigate complaints through its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
The bill does not apply to covert or non-public operations, and it does not prohibit officers from wearing face coverings when necessary for safety. It also does not apply to enforcement actions carried out solely with criminal authority.
Senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., are leading the legislation, which is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Patty Murray, D-Wash., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Peter Welch, D-Vt.
The ACLU and the Public Counsel have both endorsed the bill.
A one-page summary of the bill is here.
Full text of the bill is here.
Wyden also signed on to a letter criticizing ICE for carrying out unnecessary and cruel enforcement activities, such as raids on courthouses and restaurants.
In their letter, the senators asked the agency for information on its mask and uniform policies, as well as tactics used to instill fear and chaos. Allowing masked, plainclothes officers to conduct public raids creates opportunities for bad actors to commit crimes while claiming to be ICE agents.
The letter was signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Peter Welch, D-Vt.
A full text of the letter is here.
