On June 28, U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez was joined by U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler, legal experts, and immigrant rights advocates to rally the cause to not allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to hide their faces. At the rally held at 26 Federal Plaza home to federal government offices among them, the Department of Justice, Velázquez and Nadler announced they’d recently introduced the bill, H.R.4004 – No Anonymity in Immigration Enforcement Act of 2025 (No Masks for ICE Act) and called for immediate federal action to end secretive, unaccountable immigration enforcement.
“We would never accept it if the NYPD operated in masks without names or badges—and we shouldn’t accept it from ICE either,” said Velázquez. “When agents hide their faces and identities they create chaos, fear, and open the door to abuse. Immigrant communities are left wondering if they’re being arrested or kidnapped. That’s not how law enforcement should operate in a democracy. This bill is about restoring basic standards and bringing basic transparency and accountability to immigration enforcement.”
Velázquez introduced the No Masks for ICE Act on June 12 in response to a surge of incidents in which ICE agents have conducted arrests in plain clothes and masks, without clearly identifying themselves or their agency. Advocates say the arrests have resulted in confusion, panic, and even impersonation by criminals exploiting the lack of accountability.
The No Masks for ICE Act would: prohibit ICE agents from wearing facial coverings during enforcement actions, unless medically necessary or required for safety; require agents to wear clearly marked clothing displaying their name and affiliation with ICE during arrests; mandate written justification for any use of a mask, to be submitted by a supervisor within 48 hours; require Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report annually to Congress on any complaints and disciplinary actions related to violations of the bill.
Although the DHS claims masks are optional. They also stated (in a press release dated July 15, 2025) that “Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are facing an 830% increase in assaults from January 21 to July 14 compared with the same period in 2024.” This percentage rose from 500% in a press release for the same issue dated June 20, 2025.
NYS elected officials are also introducing legislation to disallow masks on ICE agents. NYS Assembly Member Tony Simone introduced the Mandating End of Lawless Tactics (MELT) Act (Bill number: A08908) on July 17. This bill, cosponsored by NYS Assembly Member Emily Gallagher among others, prohibits local, state, and federal law enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties; excludes certain protective masks. The NYS Senate’s version of this bill (Bill number: S08462) is sponsored by NYS Senator Patricia Fahy and is cosponsored by NYS Senators Julia Salazar and Kristen Gonzalez, among others.
The Greenline 