A group of Pennsylvania Democrats wants to change how ICE agents face the public in the commonwealth.
A circulating memorandum is working its way through the state House in Harrisburg to change the current masked “anonymity” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, along with law enforcement partners and collaborators helping them round up, arrest and detain immigrants and anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally.
Rep. Paul Friel (D-26, Chester County) is the prime sponsor of the Pennsylvania’s Officer Visibility Act, and the proposed bill has seven co-sponsors (though none from Bucks County).
The bill calls for a ban on ICE agents from wearing face coverings and would require them to wear identifying clothing or uniforms during the course of their public facing duties, as well as having their names or badge numbers clearly visible.
“The current lack of clear visual identification protocols, particularly within certain federal deployments, undermines the integrity of legitimate law enforcement agencies and puts both officers and the public in danger,” the memo states.
The co-sponsors – all Democrats – represent Allegheny and parts of Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. They include: Representatives Joseph Hohenstein, Rick Krajewski, Chris Pielli, Abigail Salisbury, Greg Scott, Ben Waxman and Joe Webster.
“I believe the proposed legislation is a necessary step toward transparency. Anonymity does not allow for accountability. It creates chaos and promotes fear. Our entire communities would feel safer knowing that those carrying out enforcement duties can be identified,” said Heidi Roux, The Welcome Project PA’s Immigrant Justice Program director.
“Accountability and professionalism go hand in hand. Visible identification reinforces both,” said Danny Ceisler, a Democrat who is running to unseat incumbent Republican Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran in November’s election.
A request for comment to Harran was unsuccessful. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is suing Harran for entering what it contends is an “illegal” partnership with ICE, the Bucks County Beacon reported in July.
“I would be supportive of the Officer Visibility Act because every person deserves to know who is approaching them and why. Transparency builds trust and keeps our community safe. This bill is a common sense step toward protecting everyone’s rights and safety,” said Bob Harvie, a current Bucks County Commissioner and Democratic candidate running against Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick to represent Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District in Washington, D.C.
DHS is offering up to $50,000 bonuses for new ICE hires, student loan forgiveness, and recently removed age limits for new ICE recruits so that 18-year-olds can now apply to be deportation officers. The American Immigration Council, among others, has criticized the scale and scope of mass immigrant deportations under Trump’s second term since taking office January 20.
On Monday, Newsweek reported Trump’s deportation drive calls for arrest and deportation “daily quotas” – something attorneys for the administration deny.
The “hard line” stance against immigrants has called into question motives of racial profiling from immigrant rights advocates.
“The ability to identify a government agent or officer is key for establishing community trust. Local law enforcement is already visible – they wear uniforms, carry badges and perform their duties with their faces uncovered. We want to ensure that ICE and other federal agents take the lead of community police by maintaining an appearance and behavior that promotes public safety, trust and accountability,” Friel said in an email.
Rep. Webster, whose district includes the West Norriton Township Super Gigante Farmer’s Market in Montgomery County, which was the recent target of an ICE raid where 14 people were arrested, said ICE activity has been reported there on three separate dates.
The most recent news coverage included the large number of masked and heavily armed individuals “on the roof of the building and gathered in the parking lot there … where most ICE agents were fully masked.”
“The very idea of a masked person with a weapon, on the streets of the United States, deserves deep consideration. That’s not what the U.S. is about. Government agents don’t get to be unidentified; they don’t get to overrule due process or any other rights granted in our Constitution. It’s the opposite: their job is to honor and protect our rights and privileges,” Webster said. “Anonymity is a devastating attack on Democracy at every level. Standing by your name and your personal honor is a fundamental tenant of citizenship. The mask obscures that basic standing.”
Webster contends “identity is at the heart of accountability” and said this is why legislation matters. He said law enforcement – when practical and reasonable – should be identifiable.
“Our local police departments spend a great deal of time engaged in community outreach and relationship-building. They understand the importance of these relationships and establishing trust to be able to safely and effectively do their jobs. Federal agents masked in our communities erode the trust that those officers have worked so hard to create,” he explained.
The Times Observer reported Pennsylvania Senate sponsors Nikil Saval (Philadelphia) and Amanda Cappelletti (Norristown), both Democrats, are co-sponsors of “unmask ICE” legislation currently circulating in the upper chamber in Harrisburg.
