“Who are you? Am I being arrested or kidnapped?”

“Democracy cannot exist in darkness, nor can it exist behind a mask.”

– Benjamin Remy, Senior Staff Attorney for NY Legal Assistance Group’s Immigrant Protection Unit

“We’re not sure who these armed men are. They show up without uniforms, they show up completely masked. They refused to give I.D. Who are these people? And frankly, the vests that they have look like they ordered them from Amazon. Are they bounty hunters? Are they vigilantes? If they are federal officers, why is it that they do not identify themselves?”

– Mayor Karen Bass

Both federal and state legislators have listened to our calls for reform, as these unidentifiable masked entities accelerate disappearing people from our communities, sometimes with brutal force. There are now at least three federal actions and two CA state bills to call your legislators to support.

Federal Actions – 3 Calls

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want [Rep._____/ Senator (call both)] to co-sponsor and vote for the VISIBLE Act, No Masks for ICE Act, Police not ICE Act of 2025 and the No Secret Police Act.
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(More information on the bills)

  • NEW! H.R.4667/S.2212 – VISIBLE Act: Amends section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require all immigration enforcement officers to display visible identification during public-facing immigration enforcement actions and to promote transparency and accountability. [Rep. Vicente Gonzales (D-TX-34), and Sen. Padilla (CA)]
  • “No Masks for ICE Act”: Currently no specific federal law requires law enforcement to wear uniforms or show their faces during arrests. The No Masks for ICE Act, introduced by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-New York) and co-sponsored by Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), who said that the legislation would create the same level of accountability for federal agents as for uniformed police in California, who have been required by law for more than three decades to have their name or badge number visible. The bill would:
    • Prohibit ICE agents from wearing facial coverings during enforcement actions, unless medically necessary or required for safety;
    • Require agents to wear clearly marked clothing displaying their name and affiliation with ICE during arrests;
    • Mandate written justification for any use of a mask, to be submitted by a supervisor within 48 hours;
    • Require DHS to report annually to Congress on any complaints and disciplinary actions related to violations of the bill.
  • “Police not ICE Act” (KQED) “…a federal bill introduced in Congress this month by Rep. Mike Thompson (D–St. Helena) would prohibit immigration officers or agents of the Department of Homeland Security from wearing clothing that bears the word “police.” (bill text here)
    • The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Rep. Luz Rivas (D-CA), and Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX).
  • “No Secret Police Act”:  amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require law enforcement officers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to clearly display identification and insignia when detaining or arresting individuals. DHS officers:   
    • Are prohibited from wearing face coverings or any item that conceals their face during detentions or arrests.   
    • Must identify the specific component of DHS (e.g., ICE, CBP) they work for.  
    • Wear or display official insignia or uniforms in a manner clearly visible to others.

Contact (You have one Representative and two senators):

  • Rep. Julia Brownley: email, (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
  • or Rep. Salud Carbajal: email.(CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB & Ventura: (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
  • Senator Adam Schiff: email, DC (202) 224-3121, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
  • and Senator Padilla: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
  • Who is my representative/senator?: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

State Actions – 2 Calls

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want [Assemblymember_____/ Senator_______] to co-sponsor and vote for the SB 627 – No Secret Police Act and the SB 805 – No Vigilantes Act.
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(More information on the bills)

  • SB 627 – No Secret Police Act (LATimes/KQED)) “We’re really at risk of having, effectively, secret police in this country,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), co-author of the bill. The bill would make it a misdemeanor for local, state and federal law enforcement officers to cover their faces with some exceptions, and also encourage them to wear a form of identification on their uniform. No specific federal law requires law enforcement to wear uniforms or show their faces during arrests. (Currently in the Assembly)
  • SB 805 – No Vigilantes Act (Fox40) “Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) announced SB 805 Crimes, also known as the ‘No Vigilantes Act.’  If passed, SB 805 will expand police impersonation laws in an effort to require federal agents to provide identification, including a last name, badge or an I.D. number. (Currently in the Assembly)

Contact: 

  • State Senator Monique Limón (SD-21): email, SAC (916) 651-4021 SB (805) 965-0862, OX (805)988-1940 
  • State Senator Henry Stern (SD-27):email, SAC (916) 651-4027, Calabasas (818) 876-3352
  • State Assemblymember Steve Bennett: (CA-38): email, SAC (916) 319-2038, VTA (805) 485-4745
  • State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin: (CA-42): email, SAC (916) 319-2042, TO ((805) 370-0542
  • Not your people? Which assemblymember/state senator is mine?: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

Deeper Dive

Watch LULAC video here: CE impersonators are using fake uniforms to rape and assault women

(https://youtu.be/V-GUOH39lSc?si=t0M1veUBSnghyQHG)

(LATimes) “The [federal] proposal comes after weeks of immigration raids in Southern California conducted by masked federal agents dressed in street clothes or camouflage fatigues, driving unmarked vehicles and not displaying their names, badge numbers or agency affiliations. Social media sites have been flooded with videos of agents violently detaining people, including dragging a taco stand vendor by her arm and tossing smoke bombs into a crowd of onlookers. 

Burbank Mayor Nikki Perez said Tuesday that city officials have received questions from residents like, “How can I know if the masked man detaining me is ICE or a kidnapper? And who can protect me if a man with a gun refuses to identify himself?”

The raids have coincided with an increase in people impersonating federal immigration agents. Last week, police said they arrested a Huntington Park man driving a Dodge Durango SUV equipped with red-and-blue lights and posing as a Border Patrol agent. 

  • Raleigh, N.C.: a 37-year-old man was charged with rape, kidnapping and impersonating a law enforcement officer after police said he broke into a Motel 6, told a woman that he was an immigration officer andand allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at a local hotel, saying he would have her deported if she did not have sex with him, local affiliate WBTV reported.
  • Brooklyn, NY: A man told a 51 year-old Latina woman he was an ICE agent. He then led her to a stairwell, beat her and attempted to rape her. He then stole her phone and purse.
  • Houston, TX: police arrested a man who they say blocked another driver’s car, pretended to be an ICE agent, conducted a fake traffic stop and stole the man’s identification and money.
  • Burbank, CA: a man confronted a woman at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, asked to see her documents and tried to “act as a federal immigration agent.” Staff and patrons stepped in to help, Perez said, but the incident left behind a “newfound sense of fear, an uncertainty.” 
  • Florida: a 23-year-old man was recently arrested and charged when police said that he claimed to be an ICE officer and threatened to deport two men after he pulled their vehicle over and demanded their identification.
  • South Carolina: A 33-year-old South Carolina man was arrested in January after he was accused of stopping a vehicle with Latino men inside and claimed to be with ICE. Video of the encounter involving Sean Michael Johnson allegedly claiming that Latinos were “going back to Mexico” went viral.
  • Philadelphia: Temple University officials warned students after three people — including two who were wearing black T-shirts with the words “Police” and “ICE” printed on them — attempted to enter a university residence hall but were denied access. Two students were suspended in the incident, and one of the students was charged with impersonating a public servant
  • Minnesota: Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of targeting two politicians, fatally shooting Democratic Rep. Melissa Holtman and her husband, Mark. Boelter currently faces federal murder charges for the attacks. He used a mask to impersonate a police officer.

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