Democrats are calling for ICE agents to lose their masks and have identities released DHS says no way The Independent

pNotifications can be managed in browser preferencesppPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inppSwipe for next articleppSenator Marsha Blackburn a Republican from Tennessee wants to make it a crime to doxx law enforcementppRemoved from bookmarksppFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing Whether its investigating the financials of Elon Musks proTrump PAC or producing our latest documentary The A Word which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messagingppAt such a critical moment in US history we need reporters on the ground Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the storyppThe Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum And unlike many other quality news outlets we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone paid for by those who can afford itppThe Trump administration and Democrats are locked in a fierce argument over whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents should be allowed to continue wearing masks while conducting operationsppNational and local Democratic leaders as well as immigrant advocates have criticized the practice comparing the masked immigration agents to figures from repressive fascist and communist regimes of the pastppThis is America This is not the Soviet Union House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Tuesday during a press briefing Were not behind the Iron Curtain This is not the 1930s And every single one of them no matter what it takes no matter how long it takes will of course be identifiedppThe comments which the White House condemned as sick came after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu compared ICE agents last week to secret police ppMeanwhile Virginia US Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine wrote last month to immigration officials arguing mask use violates Homeland Security regulations and puts everyone at risk the targeted individuals the ICE officers and agents and bystanders who may misunderstand what is happening and may attempt to interveneppThe government has insisted such disguises are vital given what the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday was a 413 percent spike in assaults against immigration agentsppWhen our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by known and suspected gang members murders and rapists the department wrote in a statement on XppEarlier this week acting ICE director Todd Lyons also defended the practiceppIm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks but Im not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line their family on the line because people dont like what immigration enforcement is he said at a news conference in Massachusetts where immigration officials have been carrying out largescale arrest operations over the last monthppSenator Marsha Blackburn Republican of Tennessee announced legislation on Wednesday that would make doxxing law enforcement illegalppBlue city mayors are doing everything they can to obstruct the Trump administrations efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens she told The New York Post of the bill a seeming reference to Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell publicly sharing information last month on the identities of Homeland Security conducting operations in his city ppBlackburns Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act would punish those who name officers with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration enforcement operation with up to five years in prison ppThe second Trump term is not the first to time masked immigration agents have been active but masked officers have featured prominently in some of this administrations most controversial moments including the April arrest of Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk the May shoving match between Democrats and ICE agents at a New Jersey detention center and ICE arrests at court houses and immigration offices around the countryppThe American Immigration Lawyers Association has warned that such arrests at sensitive locations by masked agents will prevent people from accessing their legal rights and reduce government oversightppThese actions will have a chilling effect if people are too terrified of attending court hearings with the knowledge ICE officers may be waiting to detain them at any given moment the group wrote in a memo last week This fear tactic robs noncitizen respondents of accessing a fair hearing processppJoin thoughtprovoking conversations follow other Independent readers and see their repliesppPlease refresh the page or navigate 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