The nationwide sweeps of possible illegal immigrants by the federal government’s ICE army are not in sync with our national values. The similarity to 1941 when the mass deportation of Jews out of Germany was increased is chilling. Hitler’s ruling to seize Jewish citizens in their own country of Germany is similar to the ICE tactics: ambushing, herding into vehicles, and showing disregard for young children.
We don’t even know who ICE agents are and who may be copycats. Some are likely to be criminals themselves or pardoned-by-Thump type criminals. The arrests at New York City’s three immigration courts have emerged as a reliable pipeline for ICE to round up dozens of migrants every day — and as a political flashpoint.
Republicans are rounding people up in a way that goes against American values per U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan. Slotkin recently introduced a bill that would require immigration agents to wear identification and prohibit face coverings. This is a reasonable requirement that opponents of the bill will find hard to argue against. Their argument against face masks is that ICE agents’ families may be retaliated against.
Wherever ICE agents’ families are located, I doubt there is a real threat from the people swept off the street. Their argument against specific identification is that they have signs on their back that say they are ICE. Police have uniforms, too, but they provide identification when they stop individuals. Masks and lack of identification are simply intimidation tactics.
The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement, or VISIBLE, Act of 2025 would apply to Department of Homeland Security personnel, including Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as other federal agents detailed to immigration operations and deputized state or local officers.
• The identification would be required to be clearly legible and include the agency name or initials and either the officer’s name or badge number.
• Face coverings would also be prohibited, with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations.
Slotkin partnered with Democratic U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey on the legislation. The bill is co-sponsored by 10 other Democratic senators, including Michigan’s Gary Peters.
See her press release for more information.
Mary B. Killeen
Howell
