LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan House Democrats, led by Rep. Betsy Coffia (D- Traverse City), are promoting a yet-to-be-formally-introduced bill aimed at banning face masks and requiring clear ID for all law enforcement officers – including federal ones like ICE – when interacting with the public. And the consequences of disobeying could be 90 days of jail time and a $1,000 fine.
This stems from the Democrats’ opposition to ICE raids and the deportation of illegal immigrants – regardless of whether those individuals have committed crimes or not. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, July 24 about the legislation and about ICE officers wearing masks, Coffia said, “For the average person, these incidents look like violent kidnappings. With this new federal tactic of wearing masks with no identification, there is no way for the public, the people being accosted or grabbed or even local law enforcement and local, state elected leaders to know who these folks are.”
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Coffia, referencing concerns about agricultural labor, also said, “The migrant workers and their families who for generations have worked with our local farmers and harvested and fed our communities and our country, they are living in fear today. They are living in fear of being targeted by masked, unidentified armed men in unmarked vans who are seeing the media of people being snatched all over the country.”
Political theater meets reality.
The goal? To supposedly increase “transparency.” The result? A constitutional faceplant.
Even Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has acknowledged his own state’s similar proposed legislation is legally shaky at best. “It appears we don’t have the legal authority for federal agents, but we do for other law enforcement authorities,” he admitted in a Politico report.
This conclusion was reached because Newsom has likely taken note of the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2) which establishes federal law as supreme over state law. It says, “This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”
Why are ICE agents wearing masks?
ICE officers have been wearing masks during immigration raids to protect their identities and ensure the safety of both themselves and their families. Given the increasing threats, harassment, and doxing of law enforcement, especially those involved in controversial duties like immigration enforcement, face coverings are viewed as a necessary precaution. These agents are carrying out federal law and supporters of ICE say that they shouldn’t have to fear for their lives just for doing their jobs.
Demonizing ICE with racial and Nazi rhetoric.
At a press conference about the bill, Coffia’s Democratic colleagues invoked emotional imagery – unmarked vans, masked agents, and historical comparisons to the Gestapo and KKK – most likely to stir outrage. Rep. Stephanie Young (D-Detroit) said at the press conference, “Justice wears no mask. People used to show up at Black families’ homes wearing hoods. Some of them were law enforcement. And now here we are in 2025, with masked agents scooping up people in our communities.”
But this isn’t just about optics. In practice, it would make ICE officers easier targets for harassment, threats, or worse – all while they carry out federal law.
Doxing ICE in the name of “justice.”
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While Coffia’s “Justice Needs No Mask” proposal is being sold as a public safety initiative, critics argue it’s a veiled attempt to dox and endanger ICE agents. By forcing the disclosure of badge numbers and names during immigration operations, bills like this open up a dangerous door – especially when agents are working in high-risk situations like detaining violent felons or busting trafficking rings.
On July 11, during an interview with Fox News, Trump addressed Democratic U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and others who had introduced a similar bill in the U.S. House. He said, “They wouldn’t be saying that if they didn’t hate our country and they obviously do. These officers are doing a tremendous job. They’re great patriots. If you expose them because of statements like have been made by Democrat and others on the left, usually mostly, I think, probably exclusively, you put them in great danger, tremendous danger.”
DHS responds to Michigan proposed legislation.
Michigan Public Radio reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment on the proposed state legislation and got a statement from an unnamed Senior DHS official who said, “These are repulsive messaging bills that stoke dangerous anti-ice rhetoric for cheap political points and fundraising emails. While ICE officers face an 830% increase in assaults, sanctuary politicians are trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxed and targeted.”
The statement went on to say, “When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by highly sophisticated gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, criminal rings, murderers, and rapists. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens. Make no mistake, if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Dead on arrival.
The Democrats’ legislation in Michigan isn’t just legally dead on arrival – it appears to be politically pointless too, with zero chance of clearing the Republican-controlled state House. So why push it? The answer seems to be for political theater, designed to feed campaign talking points ahead of the next elections.
Grandstanding vs. governing.
Despite the dramatic press conference and heated historical references, Coffia’s bill hasn’t actually been introduced yet – and even she admits it might never see a committee hearing in Michigan’s Republican- controlled House.
In fact, Speaker of the House Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) released the following statement on Democrat plans for legislation to restrict police in Michigan: “The Michigan House will never pass this attack on law enforcement. The people want these dangerous criminal aliens off our street, and we are doing everything we can to partner with the Trump administration and put an end to illegal immigration.
Democrats will do everything they can to get in the way of local police and ICE, because they’ve always cared more about criminals than victims. But that ends here – this ridiculous bill is dead on arrival.”
A bill not grounded in reality – or the law.
Legal experts and courts have already dismissed what the Democrats are trying to do as unconstitutional and illegal. Under rulings like McCulloch v. Maryland, states can’t criminalize federal agents for doing their jobs – even if those jobs are unpopular with the state’s progressive base. The judge ruled in this case that the Supremacy Clause establishes that federal law overrides conflicting state laws, clarifying the balance of power between federal and state governments.
What top Democrats are saying.
House Democrats aren’t the only ones pushing back on ICE wearing masks. On July 21, Michigan Democratic AG Dana Nessel put out a press release that she, along with a coalition of 21 state attorneys general are urging Congress to pass legislation to curb questionable ICE tactics. The group’s letter calls for a federal prohibition on agents conducting enforcement while wearing masks or plainclothes and mandates that they display agency insignia and identification.
To date, Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who could be a possible presidential candidate in the next election cycle, has not issued any public comments on the controversy surrounding masked ICE agents.
Political theater at the expense of border security.
Rather than propose serious immigration reforms, Michigan Democrats appear more interested in theatrics that score points with activist circles. The legislation is framed as a civil liberties issue, but critics say it’s really an attempt to hamstring ICE as they carry out enforcement orders under President Trump’s reinstated immigration agenda.
While this bill might make for flashy campaign fodder, but it holds no legal weight. Even California’s progressive-in-chief gets that. Michigan Democrats may claim they want to “unmask” ICE, but what they’ve really exposed is their contempt for constitutional limits – and their reflexive opposition to anything tied to Trump.
