This week, Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D) and Maxine Dexter (D) introduced the Combating Law Enforcement Anonymity by Requiring Identification Disclosure Act, or CLEAR ID Act. The bill aims to preventing immigration officers from concealing their identities during enforcement operations.
The bill prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for immigration enforcement activities in which officers fail to clearly identify themselves both verbally and visually.
The CLEAR ID Act is also a response to growing reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detaining people while wearing plain clothes, facial coverings, and driving unmarked vehicles.
“Using taxpayer money to fund ICE agents kidnapping people off the streets in TX-30 and beyond is un-American and unacceptable,” Rep. Crockett said in a statement. “The CLEAR ID Act will hold ICE officers accountable and prevent them from continuing to instill fear and confusion into our communities.”
“If law enforcement is doing the government’s work, they should have nothing to hide. In Trump’s America, that is far from guaranteed. Transparency is essential for safety and accountability,” Rep. Dexter added.
Advocacy groups endorsing the bill say the practice of anonymity invites abuse and impersonation.
Mily Treviño-Sauceda, the executive director of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, argued that farmworkers have endured “unnecessary traumas” and that disclosure is “vital for the safety of the public.”
Roman Palomares, the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens also weighed in on the issue, commenting that “real law enforcement doesn’t hide behind masks and unmarked cars.” “If you’re acting on behalf of the government, the public has every right to know who you are.”
Finally, Naureen Shah of the American Civil Liberties Union called on Congress to act, expressing, “our immigrant loved ones and neighbors should not have to live in fear of being snatched from their communities as they go about their daily lives.”
“Congress must pass the CLEAR ID Act,” she urged.
