Philly-area Democratic lawmakers are sending a clear message to ICE agents: No more masks

Fallon Roth, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug 14, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Democratic officials are trying to send a clear message to ICE.

Standing outside the Philadelphia field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Center City on a hot Thursday morning, state lawmakers, immigration activists, and District Attorney Larry Krasner — flanked by signs that said “No Secret Police” or “Spot the difference, burglar, bandit, ICE” — said that ICE needs more transparency and accountability as the agency carries out President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportation.

Democratic State Sens. Nikil Saval and Amanda Cappelletti led a news conference Thursday about their impending legislation that aims to do just that. The bill, called “No Secret Police: Unmask ICE,” would prohibit law enforcement officers or ICE agents from wearing facial coverings, one of the many legislative efforts nationwide responding to reports and images of ICE agents masking during raids.

“All of us have rights to dignity, to safety, and to due process,” said Saval, who represents parts of Philadelphia. “To have heavily armed, masked, unidentifiable individuals roaming our public spaces, our work sites, and our residential blocks, kidnapping people off the streets, disappearing our neighbors, terrorizes our communities and violates these basic, vital rights.”

The Philadelphia area has been subjected to ICE raids in recent months, with agents targeting people at their workplaces, at courthouses, or in their communities.

But there is no federal law governing the use of facial coverings in law enforcement, so it’s up to individual states, Saval said. The legislation, according to a memo circulated to members of the Pennsylvania Senate on July 24, also aims to deter individuals from impersonating an officer or agent.

The Pennsylvania House has companion legislation to Saval and Cappelletti’s bill. Other states, like California, are working on similar legislation, and Democrats in the U.S. Congress introduced a bill also called “No Secret Police.”

Krasner said Thursday that he has seen two cases of people impersonating ICE agents “to carry out really serious crimes,” something he said he had never seen before in the city. In June, police arrested a man who allegedly impersonated an ICE agent and zip-tied a woman during a robbery in Mayfair. In February, three individuals were charged with impersonating ICE on Temple University’s campus.

“We know this is a terrible idea to create confusion between law enforcement and criminals,” Krasner said, noting that Saval and Cappelletti’s bill is “absolutely necessary.”

Outside Pennsylvania, a man who authorities say impersonated a law enforcement officer in Minnesota is charged with assassinating State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and attacking State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.

The Pennsylvania lawmakers cited this case as one of the reasons to require ICE and other law enforcement agents to operate with greater transparency.

The bill would require officers or agents during the course of their duties to visibly display a badge with name, number, and department or agency and to wear a department-issued uniform. They would be prohibited from wearing facial coverings, masks, “or other garments that obscure their identity.”

Exceptions could be made for undercover officers or agents. Individuals could also wear a surgical mask or an N95 respirator if deemed necessary by a doctor or a broad health emergency declaration.

Noncompliance with these policies could result in civil or criminal action, according to the memo.

“One of the many reasons that I’m here today is because the reality that we find ourselves in was once unimaginable and is now wholly unacceptable,” said Cappelletti, who represents parts of Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

Erika Guadalupe Nuñez, executive director of Juntos, an immigrant rights advocacy group, expressed a similar sentiment and said she has witnessed things that shocked her.

“ICE is operating with no oversight, emboldened by a fascist agenda and with resources and funding on the scale of entire armies,” Guadalupe Nuñez said.

Republicans hold a majority in the Pennsylvania Senate, which suggests the legislation may face an uphill battle, but Saval said Thursday that they believe there is broad public support for this that will hopefully translate into support among their colleagues.

In Pennsylvania’s state House, Democratic Rep. Rick Krajewski of Philadelphia is a sponsor of the companion legislation to Saval and Cappelletti’s. “This fight will be in Harrisburg, it will be in City Hall, and it will be on our blocks,” he said Thursday.

One of those fights could manifest over Philadelphia being on the Trump administration’s list of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, meaning the city could be targeted for a refusal to help enforce federal immigration laws.

“To my immigrant neighbors, know that we have your back,” Krajewski said. “We are here with you. We’re in solidarity with you, and we will keep each other safe.”