Chuck Schumer Facing Calls To Be Removed After Move Against ICE Agents
A group of Democratic senators introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face masks while on duty, including during raids and the arrest of undocumented migrants.
The legislation follows the release of video footage showing ICE agents arresting migrants while concealing their identities, often wearing plainclothes with no visible indication they were federal officials, The Guardian reported.
That said, agents have begun shielding their identities because Democrats and Dem-aligned groups have either doxxed them and their families or have threatened to do so.
Introduced by Democratic Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Alex Padilla of California, the bill would require immigration agents to clearly display their agency affiliation—such as ICE or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—as well as either their name or badge number. It would also prohibit agents from wearing face masks unless medically necessary.
“Members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials,” Padilla, who was physically detained briefly after attempting to rush DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference in L.A. last month, said in a statement.
“This lack of transparency endangers public safety by causing confusion, fear, and mistrust, especially in communities already subjected to heightened immigration scrutiny,” he claimed without any mention of the danger his bill would put ICE agents in if it were to pass.
“It also increases risks for law enforcement personnel by creating uncertainty in high-stress situations, particularly when individuals cannot distinguish real officers from impersonators,” he continued.
ICE has not publicly responded to the proposed legislation, but acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has previously resisted changing the agency’s mask policy, citing concerns about agents being doxxed.
“We ran an operation where ICE officers were doxxed,” Lyons said. “People are out there taking photos of the names and their faces and posting them online with death threats to their family and themselves, so I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks but I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line and their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is.”
The bill comes amid growing calls from Trump administration officials for Democrats to dial back their anti-ICE rhetoric, following two recent shootings targeting ICE facilities in Texas over the past week.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, border czar Tom Homan called out Democrats over their rhetoric and reminded viewers he predicted the escalation in violence against federal immigration enforcers, such as two recent shooting incidents in Texas.
“I said over two months ago, I said on your network, numerous networks, I do a lot of interviews, I said over two months ago, if the rhetoric continues against ICE agents and Border Patrol agents about being compared to terrorists, like Congresswoman [Pramila] Jayapal did, being compared to Nazis and racists, that it’s going to end with a use of force that either a criminal is going to die or an officer is going to die. I’ve seen this recipe before. I knew it was coming and I don’t think it’s over,” he told host Martha MacCallum.
“This is a well-planned attack. And it’s because of the rhetoric. These nuts that want to take it beyond protesting to criminal activity, they’re getting rhetoric from the members of Congress, the senators who compare ICE to the Nazis, and Congresswoman Jayapal compared to the terrorist organizations,” he continued.
“So these people, these fringe groups, feel emboldened. If a member of Congress can attack ICE, why can’t we? So in response to this, ICE facilities, the security protocol has been heightened to the highest levels, along with Border Patrol facilities,” Homan said, adding that the threats won’t slow down immigration enforcement.
Trump Warns Iran of ‘Total Obliteration’ if They Try To Harm Him HH
President Donald Trump warned Iran that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up” and “total obliteration.”
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it but I’ve left notification,” Trump said. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up.”
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Biden-era Intelligence officials briefed Trump about the alleged threats against him during his presidential campaign in 2024. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plot was retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani by the U.S. in 2020, during Trump’s first administration.
Despite being briefed by his administration, Trump on Tuesday said President Biden “should have said something” on the matter, adding that presidents should defend each other on such matters.
“But I have very firm instructions,” Trump continued. “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”
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Trump also spoke about the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva.
“What are you expecting from these Iran talks in Geneva?” a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One.
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“So, I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator; they’re good negotiators — or bad negotiators. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2s to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal,” Trump said.
“Have you been told that a deal is next to impossible?” the reporter followed up.
Trump replied, “No. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
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Trump previously said that he instructed officials to destroy Iran if they killed him.
The president said this after signing an executive order right after taking office that gave him all the tools he needed to talk to Iran’s government and put as much pressure on Tehran as possible.
“They haven’t done that and that would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said at the time. “Not because of me — if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions, if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left. And, they shouldn’t be able to do it.”
Trump warned last week that the United States could send additional warships toward Iran if ongoing diplomatic negotiations fail to produce a deal, signaling that military pressure could increase as talks over Tehran’s nuclear program stall.
In remarks to Axios, Trump said the administration is considering deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln and 9 additional warships already positioned near Iran, though he expressed hope that a diplomatic agreement can still be reached.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios on Tuesday, a reference to the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites in June.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand,” Trump added. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
The president emphasized that the United States is seeking to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, halt the development of its ballistic missile program, and end support for militant proxy groups. Iranian officials have so far resisted expanding negotiations beyond nuclear-related issues.
He described the nuclear issue as a “matter of course” part of any negotiation, but also insisted that an agreement with Iran must also address Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, per Axios.
Trump said the US “can make a great deal with Iran,” and Tehran “very much wants to make a deal.”
Trump’s comments came ahead of a planned visit to Washington, D.C. by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to press for a tougher U.S. stance and broader terms for any Iran deal that would include constraints on Tehran’s missile capabilities and regional activities.
Before heading to DC, the Israeli leader previewed some of what he and Trump were going to discuss.
“I will present to the president our understanding of the principles of the negotiations (with Iran) – the essential principles that are important not only to Israel – but to everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told reporters, per the New York Post.
The administration has already bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, with multiple warships and aircraft deployed as a means of deterrence and leverage.
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