By Ted Hesson, Tim Reid and Mike Scarcella
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Images of federal immigration agents wearing masks and balaclavas as they conduct raids in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities have ignited a politically charged debate over whether they are protecting their identities or engaging in intimidation tactics.
Violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Los Angeles during the weekend were triggered by masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers rounding up alleged immigration offenders.
Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups say masks are an attempt by ICE agents to escape accountability for their actions and are aimed at frightening immigrants as they carry out Republican President Donald Trump’s directive to crack down on illegal immigration.
Republicans and ICE officials assert the face coverings are necessary to protect agents and their families from being targeted by “doxxing,” in which their home addresses and personal information are posted online.
“People are out there taking photos of the names, their faces, and posting them online with death threats to their family and themselves,” Todd Lyons, the acting ICE chief, said last week.
There are no federal rules or laws forbidding mask-wearing by law enforcement personnel, although historically they have been used to protect the identities of agents during undercover operations, said Jerry Robinette, a former ICE special agent in charge.
Armed masked ICE agents have also been seen arresting people in cities besides Los Angeles, often in plain clothes that sometimes lack clear identifying markings.
One of the most notable arrests by ICE officials came in March when Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk was confronted by several masked, plain-clothed agents on a street in a Boston suburb. Her arrest and terrified reaction were captured in a video that went viral.
Ozturk, arrested after co-writing an opinion piece criticizing her school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza, was released from ICE detention in May after a judge’s order.
Masked ICE agents have been filmed arresting workers at a restaurant in San Diego and a gardener at a house in Massachusetts. ICE officers were prominently seen wearing masks during arrests at courthouses across the U.S. last month.
INCREASED MASK USE IN TRUMP’S SECOND TERM
Scott Shuchart, a top ICE policy official under former Democratic President Joe Biden, said it appeared ICE officers had increased the use of face coverings and tactical gear since Trump took office.
Shuchart said an officer concealing their identity goes against typical American law enforcement practices.
“In general, law enforcement personnel need to have name patches, badge numbers, or other indicia that the public can see and use to file complaints and ensure accountability and oversight,” Shuchart said.
Three former U.S. officials dealing with immigration enforcement, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they did not recall ICE officers routinely using face masks while Biden was in office from 2021-2025.
Mask-wearing by law enforcement agents is more common in countries such as Mexico and Russia with high levels of organized crime or political unrest, or during counter-terrorism operations in countries including France.
Boston’s Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu was criticized by the Trump administration last week when she compared masked ICE agents to the “secret police” and a neo-Nazi group.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, called Wu’s rhetoric dangerous.
“Make no mistake, this type of rhetoric is contributing to the surge in assaults of ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE,” McLaughlin said.
DOXXING
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, speaking to Reuters in May, defended ICE officers using face coverings.
“They’ve been doxxed repeatedly,” Homan said. “I should know because I’ve been doxxed a thousand times myself.”
Homan cited an April protest outside his home in upstate New York after ICE arrested a mother and her three children on a dairy farm.
The debate over ICE masks has also erupted on Capitol Hill.
Last week the Democrats’ House of Representatives leader, Hakeem Jeffries, denounced the practice, saying ICE agents were trying to conceal their identities from the American people.
Jeffries and others believe unidentifiable law enforcement officials are difficult to hold accountable when misconduct is alleged. He vowed that the masked ICE agents would be identified “no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes.”
His comments were decried by his Republican counterpart, House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“They need to back off of ICE and respect our agents and stop protesting against them,” Johnson told Fox News.
(Reporting by Tim Reid, Ted Hesson and Mike Scarcella in Washington. Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, editing by Ross Colvin and Rod Nickel)
