New York, NY – Congressmen Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) today led 37 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing the ‘No Secret Police Act,’ which would require law enforcement officers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) engaged in border security and civil immigration enforcement to clearly display identification and insignia when detaining or arresting individuals and to ban them from using home-made, non-tactical masks.
“As a former federal prosecutor for ten years, I have worked alongside ICE and DHS agents to get violent criminals off our streets – and none of them ever wore masks,”
Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Across the country, plain-clothed federal agents in homemade face coverings are lying in wait outside immigration courts to snatch law-abiding, non-violent immigrants going through our legal system the right way. This isn’t about protecting law enforcement, it’s about terrorizing immigrant communities. The United States is not a dictatorship, and I’m proud to introduce this commonsense legislation ensuring that our federal government’s laws are enforced by identifiable human beings, not anonymous, secret agents of the state.”
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, said, “If you uphold the peace of a democratic society, you should not be anonymous. DHS and ICE agents wearing masks and hiding identification echoes the tactics of secret police authoritarian regimes – and deviates from the practices of local law enforcement, which contributes to confusion in communities. Many immigrants come to America seeking opportunities, hope, and freedom to escape draconian practices, and under no circumstance should they, or anyone, fear being disappeared by masked and armed individuals in unmarked vehicles. If you are upholding the law, you should not be anonymous, and our bill aims to safeguard from tyranny while upholding the values of our nation.”
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition, said, “Armed, unmarked federal agents are stalking immigrants outside courtrooms and targeting people who are following the rules and fighting for their lives. These tactics are ripped straight from an authoritarian playbook. Let’s call it what it is: a war on immigrant communities carried out in the shadows — it’s an unconstitutional campaign of terror. We will not be silenced nor intimidated by these actions. We are on the right side of the law and we will fight tooth and nail to end this assault on our people and our democracy. We call for the swift passage of the No Secret Police Act.”
Natalia Aristizabal, Deputy Director of Make the Road New York, said, "ICE, and the hodgepodge of federal agencies Trump is getting to execute his war on immigrants, are terrorizing immigrant communities. They blatantly disregard people's rights and take people from their jobs, homes and streets, all while masked and unidentified. This must stop. ICE must answer to the people, and must identify themselves and the agencies they work for. This bill would be a step towards reigning in their out of control and rogue behavior, and Congress should swiftly pass it into law."
The No Secret Police Act would amend 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. Specifically, the bill would require that DHS officers:
- Are prohibited from wearing face coverings or any item that conceals their face during detentions or arrests.
- 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.
- The bill also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology and in coordination with relevant departmental components, to conduct research and development to enhance the visibility of law enforcement officers’ official insignia or uniforms. This includes developing technologies that ensure these identifiers remain clearly visible during detentions or arrests, particularly under varying conditions such as different locations, times of day, and weather circumstances.
Congressman Goldman has been leading the charge to combat and confront the Trump administration’s authoritarian immigration enforcement tactics.
Earlier this month, Congressman Goldman and House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02)
led 84 House Democrats in an oversight letter of inquiry to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem seeking answers regarding the rise in ICE employing its masked, plainclothes officers to detain non-violent, law-abiding immigrants immediately following and in coordination with the dismissal of their existing deportation cases by DHS attorneys.
Last week, Goldman
conducted an oversight visit to the ICE Field Office at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, where Deputy Field Director Bill Joyce confirmed that immigrants housed on the 10th floor were being forced to sleep on benches, floors, and in bathrooms for multiple days. Despite admitting that the facility was being used to detain migrants for several days at a time, Joyce barred the lawmakers from accessing the area, citing administration guidance. That same week, Goldman
led 8 of his New York City House Democratic colleagues in sending an oversight letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons demanding ICE comply with Section 527(a) of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 and stop denying members of Congress access to facilities that ICE is using to house immigrants.
Last month, Congressman Goldman held an emergency press conference
after witnessing and questioning masked ICE agents detaining immigrants attending routine immigration court appearances in the lobby of his 290 Broadway Manhattan district office. The press conference followed Congressman Goldman attending an immigration court proceeding this morning at the Executive Office for Immigration Review New York - Broadway Immigration Court in Manhattan, where ICE agents had been detaining both immigrants and observers, including a pastor from Queens.
