[This article first appeared at Common Dreams on February 10, 2026.]
Democrats want President Donald Trump to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement by following the rules that govern every other law enforcement agency in the country. But a particular sticking point has become the demand that ICE and Border Patrol officers stop wearing masks during enforcement operations.
It should be a “no-brainer.” But Republicans say it’s a “non-starter.”
In fact, Republicans are so wedded to their objection that they’re willing to shut down other critical Department of Homeland Security agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), US Coast Guard (USCG), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Ironically, blocking DHS’s appropriation would have a minimal impact on ICE because Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” provided ICE with $85 billion – making it the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency and more than twice that of the Justice Department, which includes the FBI.
The GOP’s Specious Argument
Republicans claim that unmasking ICE would endanger the officers because protesters might learn their identities, which would threaten the officers’ safety. It’s nonsense.
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