ICE chief says he will continue to allow agents to wear masks during arrest raids
Legal advocates and attorneys general argue practice poses accountability issues and contributes to a climate of fear
The head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) said on Sunday that he will continue allowing the controversial practice of his officers wearing masks over their faces during their arrest raids.
As Donald Trump has ramped up his unprecedented effort to deport immigrants around the country, Ice officers have become notorious for wearing masks to approach and detain people, often with force. Legal advocates and attorneys general have argued that it poses accountability issues and contributes to a climate of fear.
On Sunday, Todd Lyons, the agency’s acting director, was asked on CBS Face the Nation about imposters exploiting the practice by posing as immigration officers. “That’s one of our biggest concerns. And I’ve said it publicly before, I’m not a proponent of the masks,” Lyons said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/20/ice-agents-masksOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
48 replies
They wear masks because they’re ashamed.
Because they don't want to be hunted after this chapter of American history is slammed shut.
And it might take years or even decade++, but this chapter will eventually close.
We will find them.
There will be a leak. It will be far too late to matter but it will come out one day. I hope they all lose their middle manager jobs at Staples and can't afford their insulin.
Probably all in the list of pardoned people 🤔
I was banned from Reddit for daring to suggest such a thing there. Even though Nazi hunters are a thing.
Nothing will happen. Did anything happen to the police who killed unarmed kids, and innocents without any other reason other than the colour of their skin.
I hope to a God I don't even believe in that you're right
Which means they're working triple overtime supressing it.
Absolutely not. Anonymity is power and lack of consequences. That’s what the masks are for.
Every video I've watched where their masks are down and they're speaking, they don't look or sound like white Americans.
They look and sound like Federales.
Small sample size but just an observation.
you overestimate them
they wouldn't do this if they didn't like it
Plenty of people are ashamed of their antisocial habits.
What about taking the license plates off of their vehicles ?
Is that still legal ? Because vandalizing their cars is a way of dealing with that.
And I've read that glitter-splashing is another way of dealing with their masks.
I keep wondering if their cars have run flat tires.
Even run flats aren't going to take you very far if they're missing their valve core, which is easily accessible from the outside of the vehicle
So terrorist still wear masks.
...the people in control of the government are ok with fucking kids...
Yeah. That's where we're at. Trump is okay with kids getting fucked.
I thought republicans were supposed to rabidly hate pedophiles. Wasn't that their excuse for the hatred against LGBT people?
Here's a thought. Everyone should wear masks again like it was the pandemic. Then ICE can't easily identify you.
Everyone didn't wear masks during COVID! And we all know who most of the ones that didn't are. All this would do is put a target on anyone wearing a mask that isn't in camo.
The Attorneys said "Wearing masks poses accountability issues and contributed to a climate of fear"
DEA Chief said: "Correct." or "So you get why we need them?"
I thought they can’t breathe with masks. Interesting.
Psychologists call it selective autoasphyxiation. It's quite a common thing in facist regimes, particularly amongst the political and enforcement classes.
Cowards and hypocrites
These people are cowards
Yes. Them and their benefactors. Money creates cowards.
It's going to end up contributing to a climate of violence. Mark my words.
Which is exactly what the sociopaths in power want. So they have an excuse to ramp up enforcement and implement martial law so they can inflict more violence.
"ICE chief says he wants agents to get killed attempting to illegally kidnap people"
Terrorist leader approves of terrorist practices next at eleven!
Pussy snowflakes are embarrassed about what they do. They fear people might treat them and their families the same way they're treating brown families.
Law enforcement that truly believes they have the law on their side can police out in the open.
Why don’t they just wear pointy hoods while they’re at it? Seems like they might think it’d be oh-KKK.
In a way it's understandable... if there is a chance that you might be targeted for doing your job then wearing a mask is the right choice to protect yourself and your family.
I mean, it's not THAT uncommon: SEK and other more "militarized" police units in Germany also wear masks during raids for the same reason.
You deny that other police forces mask up to prevent harm for themself or their families?
In which world does 'those other assholes do it' count as an ethical defense?
sigh
Seriously. Interact with this idea a little bit and see if it stands up to logic.
If police did their job correctly, they would not be afraid of the community they serve.
You seem to misunderstand what the police's job is
Perhaps they would not be afraid of the community... but what about organized crime?
They’ve never needed masks until now.
They’re afraid of the public because their actions are shameful and “just following orders” didn’t protect the Nazis last time.
Just to set the record straight:
It very much did.
Do you think every SS guard, every SA man and every Wehrmacht soldier who was participating in atrocities was prosecuted? Nah, i would argue that only perhaps 2 - 5 % (if ever) of the participating officials where put on trial and only a low number of those got harsh sentences.
ICE wishes they were SWAT. But they're not out there defusing bombs or breaking up a gun rings, they're chasing farm hands and abducting abuelas. So yeah, they're scared but not of the people they are going after.
Yeah, wouldn’t want anyone breaking down the doors to their homes or picking them up off the streets into unmarked vans or stalking their kids while they’re at school, basically just disregarding all of their rights, that would be so fucked up to do that to anyone, right? What kind of person could ever justify doing that to people?