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Original Date Announced
June 2, 2025At a press conference, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons defended ICE officers who wear masks over their faces to hide their identities during enforcement operations. John Sandweg, former acting director of ICE under President Obama, said he never saw anyone wearing masks during his tenure, and he believes the practice began in March 2025.
Trump 2.0 [ID #1866]
2025.06.02 Reported: ICE director explains why agents wear masks during immigration raids - CBS Boston 2025.06.21 Reported: Masked ICE officers: The new calling card of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown - CNNSubsequent Trump and Court Action
July 18, 20252025.07.18 Reported: ICE head says he won't block agents from wearing masks - CBS News
ICE Acting Director Lyons tells CBS News that he is not a "proponent" of wearing masks, but he confirmed that he will allow ICE personnel to continue doing so.
View DocumentSubsequent Trump and Court Action
September 30, 20252025.09.30. Order - American Association of University Professors v. Rubio
Judge William G. Young issued an order in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio, which challenges the separate administration policy of deporting students engaged in pro-Palestinian protests or activities, stating: "ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence. . . . To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police. Carrying on in this fashion, ICE brings indelible obloquy to this administration and everyone who works in it." Judge Young deferred ordering a remedy to a future order.
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View DocumentCurrent Status
NoneOriginal Trump Policy Status
Status: Final/ActualTrump Administration Action: Change in PracticeSubject Matter: Interior EnforcementAgencies Affected: ICEAssociated or Derivative Policies
Documents
Trump-Era Policy Documents
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Subsequent Action
Original Source:
Order - American Association of University Professors v Rubio
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Commentary
Original Source:
Senator Padilla - Letter to ICE Acting Director Lyons re: masks
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Other
Original Source:
CA Senate - SB-627 barring masks for law enforcement
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Commentary
2025.07.07 Senator Padilla - Letter to ICE Acting Director Lyons re: masks
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), with 13 other senators, sent a letter to ICE Acting Director Lyons about ICE law-enforcement personnel wearing masks and no identifying uniforms during enforcement operations.
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