The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Sunday that he will continue allowing agents to wear masks during arrest raids, despite concerns from legal advocates and state officials.
Todd Lyons, speaking on CBS’ Face the Nation, acknowledged the controversy but said the practice helps protect ICE officers and their families. “If that’s a tool the men and women of ICE use to keep themselves safe, then I will allow it,” Lyons said.
The use of masks by ICE agents has increased during deportation raids under the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign. Critics argue that mask-wearing reduces transparency and accountability, making it harder to identify officers and increasing fear among immigrant communities.
Legal advocates and 21 state attorneys general, including New York’s Letitia James, have called for laws requiring federal immigration agents to show clear identification and prohibit masks that hide their faces. California legislators recently proposed the “No Vigilantes Act” to enforce such rules.
Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles also criticized the practice, saying on ABC News, “I don’t think you have a right to have a mask and snatch people off the street.”
Lyons defended the masks as a protection against growing risks to agents, citing an increase in assaults. However, available data shows that reported assaults on ICE officers fell from 79 in early 2023 to 10 in the same period in 2024, while ICE arrests rose sharply.
Videos on social media show masked ICE agents detaining people without immediately identifying themselves and pushing them into unmarked vehicles.
When asked about agents not identifying themselves, Lyons said officers wear vests marked “police” and work with Department of Justice and local law enforcement partners, though ICE agents are not police officers.
Lyons also revealed that ICE is using Medicaid data to locate undocumented immigrants, despite those individuals not qualifying for the program.
Concerns have grown over criminals impersonating masked ICE agents in several violent cases across the country, heightening fears about the impact of mask-wearing by official officers.
The New York City Bar Association called mask use “a significant legal issue” that should be addressed immediately to protect immigrant rights.
