The Trump administration says hiding immigration agents’ identities, including by wearing masks, keeps them safe. But critics say it’s a recipe for confusion that escalates the risk of injury for officers and the public.
Armed, plainclothes agents with covered faces are taking on a bigger role in the Trump administration’s efforts to meet a 3,000-a-day immigration arrest quota. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers carried out arrests in blue jeans and T-shirts at a New York courthouse. And police in Pasadena, California, believe that a man who hopped out of an unmarked vehicle and pointed a gun at pedestrians last month is an ICE officer, but said they had no way of confirming that.
Democrats and public safety experts say that ambiguity leaves observers of arrests and raids guessing whether what they’re watching play out is a law enforcement operation or something else entirely, which puts personnel in danger.