Exclusive: Warner, Kaine introduce bill to unmask ICE agents

Federal immigration agents would be required to show their faces and be clearly identifiable when making arrests under a soon-to-be-introduced bill from Virginia Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.

Why it matters: The proposal, shared exclusively with Axios Richmond, is partly in response to recent incidents in Chesterfield and Charlottesville, where media outlets have reported masked ICE officers in plainclothes detaining people.

Driving the news: Under the legislation, any law enforcement officer conducting immigration enforcement operations — both federal and local — must:

• Visibly show their name and which law enforcement agency they're with.
• Not be masked, with exceptions for some operations and for health purposes.

Zoom in: The Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety Act (IEIS, pronounced ICE) would also cover the costs of services to remove personal information from the internet that could be used to threaten officers or their families.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, told Axios Richmond that ICE agents "always have credentials visible and clearly announce who they are" — which immigrant rights advocates have disputed.

The big picture: Kaine and Warner's bill is the latest in a string of Democratic lawmakers, including in states and cities, seeking to ban ICE agents' masking.

• ICE agents are currently not required to provide badge numbers or identify themselves, reports Axios' Russell Contreras. They can cover their faces, arrive in unmarked cars and they don't need a warrant from a judge to detain someone.
• Nationwide, raids by ICE agents in plain clothes have sometimes led nearby residents to believe that people were being kidnapped.

• And there have been reports of ICE impersonators harassing people, creating more chaos and uncertainty in some communities — which McLaughlin said the agency condemns.

McLaughlin has said the rhetoric from Democratic politicians on masked ICE personnel is "demonization" against the agents.

Between the lines: Democratic U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who represents the Richmond area, is also pushing for more transparency around ICE arrests.

• McClellan met with local leaders at the Chesterfield courthouse this week to talk about concerns with ramped-up enforcement tactics.

What we're watching: Whether Virginia's legislature follows New York and Massachusetts in introducing bills that would make ICE agents more identifiable.