1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support legislation requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to display visible identification during enforcement operations. Specifically, I ask that you cosponsor and vote for H.R. 4004, the No Masks for ICE Act introduced by Rep. Nydia Velázquez, or S. 2212, the VISIBLE Act introduced by Senators Padilla and Booker on August 19, 2025. Recent months have brought alarming reports of ICE agents conducting operations while concealing their identities. Agents have worn masks and plain clothes, used unmarked vehicles, misled local police, and refused to identify themselves or their agency during enforcement actions. High-profile incidents include the kidnapping of graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk and the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. These masked operations have shattered public trust in law enforcement and created genuinely dangerous conditions for everyone involved. The anonymity of these enforcement actions has enabled criminal impersonation. People across the country have been charged with posing as ICE agents to demand money, solicit sexual favors, kidnap victims, and terrorize vulnerable communities. The murder of Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband by someone posing as a police officer demonstrates how the lines have blurred between legitimate enforcement and criminal imposters. When real officers refuse to identify themselves, they make it impossible for the public to distinguish between lawful authority and dangerous criminals. Basic transparency requirements would address this crisis. Requiring visible identification does not interfere with legitimate enforcement operations. It simply ensures that officers conducting government actions can be held accountable and that community members can verify they are dealing with actual law enforcement rather than criminals exploiting fear and confusion. I urge you to support H.R. 4004 or S. 2212 to restore accountability and public safety to immigration enforcement. This is a matter of fundamental transparency that protects both communities and the integrity of law enforcement itself.