Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Wednesday criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for wearing masks as they carry out the Trump administration’s escalating crackdown on illegal immigration.
“These ICE agents would do themselves a lot of favor and have more credibility if they did not wear masks and they identified themselves more, because if they are standing on lawfulness, they shouldn’t be afraid to show their faces,” Swalwell told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on his show.
“And so that part bothers me as well, that they, no other law enforcement agency, operates routinely the way that they’re doing this, and it’s terrorizing people,” he added.
Since his return to the White House, President Trump has ramped up arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants and foreign students — policies often carried out by masked ICE agents in plain clothes. The directives and tactics have drawn heated backlash from Democrats and immigrant advocates.
In a Monday letter, a group of Senate Democrats pressed ICE on uniform and masking protocol.
“We write regarding the apparent widespread violations of historical norms and traditions in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (‘ICE’) operations in Los Angeles and across the country by engaging in law enforcement activities—including arrests—without wearing identifying uniforms and while masked,” the lawmakers wrote.
In their letter, the group of Democrats questioned ICE on its “policies with regards to wearing masks while on duty” and its “policies with regards to wearing uniforms or other identifiable markers while on duty.”
Swalwell, in response to a post from television personality Geraldo Rivera on the social platform X in which he questioned the masking of ICE agents, said Tuesday that “real cops don’t wear masks.”
The Hill has reached out to ICE for comment.
