In Donald Trump’s America, democracy seems to be constantly under threat. In the last few months, especially as President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration has really taken effect, basic human rights, including respect, are being ignored. A facet of Trump’s immigration crackdown is masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, in what should be a terrifying prospect for all Americans.
It has become shockingly commonplace to witness immigration agents detaining people and taking them into custody in states across the country, except that one factor has changed. Agents are purposefully hiding their identities and faces, whether by disguising themselves, donning caps, sunglasses, neck gaiters or balaclavas.
Never in the history of American policing have officers donned masks with the intention of concealing their identities, a uniquely Trumpian policy. Still, the Trump administration defends the practice of immigration agents wearing masks, citing “strident and increasing harassment in public and online against agents, as well as a necessity for protecting their families’ safety, and avoiding death threats and doxing,” as agents carry out enforcements in line with Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
At the same time, President Trump and his administration have repeatedly called for mask-wearing at protests to be banned, and for masked protestors to be arrested. The reluctance of Immigration Enforcement agents to be identified while engaging in what are often violent deportation cases, and the Trump administration’s promotion of mask wearing highlight the illegitimacy of those actions.
The Trump administration has also diverted some federal officers from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to support ICE, resulting in agents normally equipped to deal with violent crimes handling civil immigration violations.
Trump’s contradicting views on the issue of masking regarding protestors and ICE agents begs the question, why are some Americans subject to different rules? All Americans are protected under the same laws outlined in the constitution, including freedom of speech and the right to talk out anonymously. Not to mention the right to be treated with dignity and respect is a basic human right documented in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Elaine Frantz, a history professor at Kent State University and author of Ku-Klux: The Birth of the Klan during Reconstruction, said, “One thing about a mask is it kind of works like being behind a riot shield. When you have more of separation from the person you’re attacking, it’s easier to dehumanize that person.” Mike German, a former FBI agent, shares this view, stating, “Masking symbolized the drift of law enforcement away from democratic controls.”
The most notable example of mask-wearing in American history for the purpose of concealing identity is also its most atrocious one, in the form of the racist attacks carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan. The presence of masked police or paramilitary forces in countries outside the US, including the Wagner Group in Africa and during the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2024, is perceived by Americans as antithetical to promised democracy and justice for all. The common-law practice of being able to face your accusers is under attack because of the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
Without accountability and transparency in law enforcement sectors, violence is promoted as Americans are pushed to resist against what they perceive as illegitimate, rightfully so. An even bigger divide between law enforcement and the public is being stoked by the Trump administration’s policy surrounding immigration. The use of masks and other measures of concealing identity for law enforcement officers cannot be normalized if democratic ideals or democracy itself is to be preserved in the US.
