1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

Connecticut just passed SB00397, requiring all law enforcement operating in the state—including ICE and CBP—to show their faces and display badges while on duty. I want you to introduce similar legislation here. Masked agents in balaclavas, unmarked vans, and people detained without proper identification have become standard practice under this administration. Court filings from 2025 and 2026 document these tactics across multiple cities. This isn't law enforcement. It's intimidation. Connecticut's bill also bans arrests on civil offenses inside schools, hospitals, and houses of worship without a judicial warrant. Most importantly, it creates a state court mechanism for residents to sue federal, state, and local officials who violate their constitutional rights. The Supreme Court has systematically eliminated federal remedies through Ziglar v. Abbasi, Hernández v. Mesa, and Egbert v. Boule. Federal agents now operate with near-total impunity. States can fix this. The bill draws from the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, Reconstruction legislation that protected freed Black Americans from masked vigilantes hiding behind the law. That history matters. Accountability requires identification. Pass this in our state.