Murray also joins Padilla and colleagues in a letter to DHS requesting information about ICE’s use of unidentified plainclothes agents
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in introducing new legislation to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement (VISIBLE) Act of 2025 would strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability for the Trump administration’s indiscriminate and alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities in Washington state and across the country.
Under the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, civil immigration enforcement operations have increasingly involved Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers engaging with the public while wearing unmarked tactical gear, concealing clothing, and face coverings that obscure both agency affiliation and personal identity. Without visible badges, names, or insignia, members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials.
This lack of transparency endangers public safety by causing widespread confusion and fear, especially in communities already subject to heightened immigration scrutiny. It also increases operational and safety risks for law enforcement personnel by creating an opportunity for immigration enforcement impersonators and compounding uncertainty in high-stress situations. Clear, consistent, visible identification helps reduce miscommunication during enforcement encounters, strengthens officer credibility, and improves public cooperation, all of which are vital to mission success. The VISIBLE Act would place a critical check on the government’s power, ensuring basic transparency safeguards that protect public trust and legitimacy in immigration enforcement operations.
“Under the Trump administration, Americans have watched in horror as people have been abducted by unidentified masked agents and driven away in unmarked vans—these are scenes that shock the conscience and should never happen in America,” said Senator Murray. “I’ve heard from immigrant communities and people across Washington state about the pervasive sense of fear and alarm created when masked agents descend on a community without any visible identification, and residents have no way of knowing whether they are interacting with legitimate law enforcement. Anyone being detained by law enforcement in America deserves to know who is detaining them and why. The VISIBLE Act would simply require immigration enforcement officers to display their badge number and agency, and ensure that masked agents aren’t whisking people off the streets. This is a commonsense step that is badly needed as the Trump administration does everything it can to stoke fear and terror in immigrant communities and make everyone feel less safe.”
“This bill is an important step toward keeping immigration enforcement officers and all the people in America safe. Masked, plainclothes officers create an unreasonable risk of escalating violence and unnerve everyone who sees them,” said Scott Shuchart, Former ICE and DHS (Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties) Official. “As much as the cop in blues is a staple of American life, the masked bandit is a symbol of fear, and having government agents dressed like paramilitaries is un-American. Based on my experience in government, the VISIBLE Act makes good sense and would be straightforward for DHS officials to implement.”
Specifically, the VISIBLE Act:
- Requires immigration enforcement officers — including DHS personnel such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 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) that obscure identity or facial visibility, with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations; and
- Requires DHS 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 facing operations, nor does it prohibit face coverings when necessary for officer safety. It also does not apply to enforcement actions conducted solely under criminal authority.
The VISIBLE Act is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The bill is endorsed by the ACLU and Public Counsel.
A one-pager on the bill is available HERE.
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
Senator Murray also joined Senator Padilla and 12 other Democratic senators in a letter sent yesterday to Todd Lyons, Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), criticizing ICE for engaging in counterproductive, theatrical enforcement activities—including raids on courthouses and restaurants—and requesting information from the agency on its mask and uniform policies. The senators argued that these tactics are designed to sow fear and chaos and that allowing masked, plainclothes officers to engage in public raids creates situations where bad actors can commit crimes while claiming to be ICE agents.
“As ICE engages in unprecedented numbers of immigration raids across the country, reportedly in response to arbitrary quotas set by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, it is crucial that ICE personnel not engage in conduct that is all but guaranteed to sow chaos and confusion and put law enforcement officers in danger,” the senators wrote. “Storming courthouses, grabbing students off the street, raiding places of work, and sweeping through restaurants at prime dining hours are in and of themselves tactics clearly designed to engender fear and sow chaos in the population. Doing so in plainclothes, with no identification of their name or agency, while wearing a mask designed to obscure the agent’s face, represents a clear attempt to compound that fear and chaos—and to avoid accountability for agents’ actions.
The consequences of allowing unfettered plainclothes enforcement actions are clear. Not only does it frighten people and lead to increased chaos, but it also allows criminals to take advantage of this environment of uncertainty,” the Members continued. The Members alsoasked Acting Director to respond to the following questions by Monday, July 21st:
- What are U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s policies with regards to wearing masks while on duty?
- What are U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s policies with regards to wearing uniforms or other identifiable markers while on duty?
In addition to Padilla and Murray, the letter was also signed by Senators Blumenthal (D-CT), Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL) Hirono, Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Schiff (D-CA), Smith (D-MN), Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Welch (D-VT), and Wyden (D-OR).
Full text of the letter is available HERE.
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