Sebastián Hidalgo for Block Club ChicagoSeven Illinois representatives co-sponsored a bill that would ban immigration agents from wearing masks. In Chicago, police district council members want the city to enforce “identification standards” for law enforcement.
This story was originally published in Block Club Chicago, a nonprofit newsroom focused on Chicago’s neighborhoods. Sign up for its free daily newsletter.
CHICAGO — State, national and local elected officials are calling for legislation that would prohibit federal immigration agents from wearing face masks and force them to identify themselves while on the job.
Members of Congress, including seven Illinois House representatives, introduced a bill late last month banning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face masks. It also imposes standards for Department of Homeland Security agents to identify themselves and wear visible uniforms or insignias identifying themselves as members of the department.
The proposal, known as the No Secret Police Act of 2025, would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the law that outlines the Department of Homeland Security’s functions and authorities.
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Illinois Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson, Danny Davis, Sean Casten, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Janice Schakowsky co-sponsored the bill.
In Chicago, members of the 12th police district council have also called for local measures banning agents from wearing face masks while working in the city.
The call comes as masked federal agents have been seen making arrests at immigration courts, during routine immigration check-ins and in raids in the city, a trend seen nationwide. California state lawmakers have proposed similar state legislation that has yet to be approved. A bill banning immigration officers from wearing any clothing that says the word police has also been introduced to the U.S. Congress.
“ICE agents are wearing masks, hiding their identities and abducting people off the streets with no warrants. That’s not law enforcement — it’s a rogue operation, and it must be stopped. That’s why I support legislation addressing this issue,” Garcia said in an emailed statement.
Elected officials have repeatedly condemned the presence of masked ICE agents, saying they are sowing fear and confusion across Chicago communities.
“[President Donald] Trump and [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi] Noem’s directive to deploy masked, unidentified agents into our communities has created terror and enabled violations of our civil rights and personal safety. We need to rein in the Administration’s abuses of power that make us all less safe,” Ramirez, a co-sponsor of the No Secret Police Act, said in a written statement.
In Chicago, masked agents have also engaged with organizers who protested arrests outside the Chicago immigration court, 55 E. Monroe St. At least three protesters were detained on June 16, said Leonardo Quintero, 12th police district council member.
Locally, the district council members representing the Near West police district are calling on the city to ban federal agents from wearing masks and enforcing “identification standards” for anyone operating as law enforcement, according to a letter sent to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling June 24.
“At a very minimum, we need to know exactly who they are as they approach any resident. That is: no mask and having an identifiable agency [tag], as well as a badge or name tag,” said Quintero, who signed the letter. Near West district council members Michelle Quintero and Chloe Vitale co-signed.
Mayor Johnson’s office and the Chicago Police Department did not respond to Block Club’s requests for comment.
Quintero said the measure is necessary to allow the public or anyone detained can to hold officers accountable in cases of brutality or other rights violations.
ICE did not respond to Block Club’s request for comment.
Immigrant rights leaders and experts have sounded the alarm on these tactics, which they have said are meant to intimidate immigrants, reduce accountability and could endanger the public.
The presence of masked ICE agents, concealing their identities and forcibly disappearing people across the country has created fear among immigrants and citizens, said Adam Goodman, associate professor for the departments of history and Latin American studies at the University of Illinois Chicago.
“It is reason for incredible concern and it can lead to racial profiling and the violation of basic civil rights and civil liberties for citizens, permanent residents and undocumented immigrants alike,” Goodman said.
ICE officials and border czar Tom Homan have said agents are masked to protect their identities and their families from “doxxing,” according to Reuters.
Goodman described the practice as a new tactic under this Trump administration that was not commonly used in the past. He suggested that it could be in response to communities organizing rapid response networks and anyone having the ability to document ICE detentions with their phone camera. But it also poses other negative consequences, he said.
Ramirez said that lawmakers, from “local assemblies to Congress,” should be passing legislation to “hold those in power accountable when they violate the foundations of our shared humanity.”
Organizers have also said agents from other federal law enforcement agencies have been seen wearing masks and refusing to identify themselves.
In recent weeks, a protester sat in front of a vehicle as it drove away from the Chicago immigration court when masked agents hopped out of the car and “put their hands” on the person, said an organizer who was present and asked not to be named for safety reasons.
Some of the masked agents wore vests identifying them as members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as seen on a widely circulated video on social media. Under the Trump administration, the ATF has been one of several federal agencies assisting ICE with immigration arrests.
“The total lack of identification and the total disregard for personal safety of anyone they’re interacting with has been terrifying,” the organizer said.
As a welcoming city that is home to longtime immigrants and newcomers, the city needs to do more to condemn and prevent the use of these tactics and demand accountability, Quintero said.
“No masks. No concealment. The public has a right to know who is engaging with them and under what authority,” district council members wrote.
Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who chairs the city’s immigration committee, told Block Club he supports having measures in place requiring immigration agents to identify themselves.
Vasquez and other Latino Caucus members have brought it up to Mayor Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker’s external affairs teams, but “haven’t been provided any follow-up on this or any other proactive methods to protect Chicagoans being kidnapped by masked DHS agents,” Vasquez said in an emailed statement.
“We hope that our city and state law departments can effectively balance litigation concerns and protect Chicagoans in this moment,” Vasquez said.
There are no federal rules or laws banning law enforcement officials from wearing masks, a former ICE special agent in charge told Reuters.
Historically, there has been a gap between what the law says and how ICE operates, Goodman said.
It is unclear, however, if local regulations could be imposed over a federal agency.
Angel Novalez, chief of community policing for the Chicago Police Department, said Chicagoans can call police for help if they suspect someone is impersonating an officer at a meeting held by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
“Police will attempt to verify their identity,” Novalez said.
Earlier this month, Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman, a former state House speaker, and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home by a man impersonating a police officer, who prosecutors have also accused of shooting Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman.
In California, two state lawmakers proposed a bill that would ban ICE agents from covering their faces with masks or balaclavas while working in the state, the LAist reported.
Also in California, Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores directed local police to verify the identities of those participating in immigration raids within town limits, according to local reports.
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