LA County moves forward with creating ordinance requiring ICE agents to uncover faces

Following legislative action at the federal and state level, on Tuesday Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn presented an ordinance that prohibits law enforcement officers from concealing their identities in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

For the past two months, communities have been on edge after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents started storming the streets in the Southland, focusing in Los Angeles and arresting people with and without legal status.

Supervisor Hahn said these agents are racially profiling and violently detaining community members who are looking for a job on the streets, while waiting for the bus or when taking their kids to school.

“Being forcibly detained by a federal officer in the middle of the day is scary enough. Having it done by someone wearing a face mask or balaclava whose name and badge are completely covered up is even more disturbing,” she said. 

Hahn said in contrast to local law enforcement, who always show their faces and identify themselves when engaging with the public, these so-called federal agents arrive with masks, often in unmarked vehicles, with license plates blurred and refuse to provide proper identification.  

“All of us were raised to when someone knocks on your door at any time of the day or night and they say they're from maybe DWP, or they're from the gas company or they're from the police department. What is the first thing we've been told to do? Ask for their identification,” she said. “This is no different, and they should respect our wishes in Los Angeles County, if they continue to be here.”

Supervisor Hilda Solis, co-author of the L.A. County ordinance, said if the highest levels of government are heeding this concern, the same should be done at the local level. 

There have been incidents of ICE impersonation in Huntington Park and even an attempted assault from an intoxicated off-duty ICE agent in Long Beach.

“This incident, to me, demonstrates the lawlessness of ICE immigration enforcement and the threats to our public safety,” Solis said. 

At the federal level, the VISIBLE Act of 2025, introduced by Democratic senators Alex Padilla and Cory Booker, requires visible identification from federal agents. At the state level, the “No Secret Police Act,” or SB 627, and the “No Vigilantes Act”, or SB 805, require unmasked law enforcement and proper identification. 

Concern about enforcement

While the idea of the ordinance sounds like a protection for the immigrant community, Supervisor Kathryn Bargertouched on who will enforce it. The U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause does not allow the state or the county to regulate the actions of the federal government.

The Board’s counsel said she will look into this part, but most likely it will fall into the hands of the district attorney. 

Barguer said she’s not critical of the why, but the how. She said for now it is scary enough for vulnerable communities to approach law enforcement to make a report, but the ordinance will imply they can report the masked agents. 

“If we're doing a motion, just to do a motion. I'm fine, I'll vote yes, knowing that will probably go nowhere, but I just want to put on the table what I see are the pitfalls so the public doesn't have a false impression about what we can and cannot do,” she said 

The legal counsel said all of those concerns will be addressed when working on the ordinance, which is expected to be drafted in 60 days.

Supporters of the motion

Dozens of people waited for hours to provide a comment — including several educators, nonprofit leaders and community representatives — but due to time limits, only a handful were able to speak. 

By a large majority, the comments, mainly over the phone, were in support of the ordinance. Some people agreed that many of these agents could be insurrectionists who signed up for the position and will take advantage of abusing vulnerable communities. Others said the thousands of dollars offered in bonuses to become ICE agents makes people want to sign up for a bad job. 

Taylor Smith said she has been a front-line supporter and pro-immigrant protester from the moment the massive raids started. She said they have been doing this for 60 days and it is exhausting. She highlighted that waiting an additional 60 days for the motion to be drafted is only going to have people continue living in terror. 

Another speaker, who identified himself only as Eddin, walked to the podium with his face covered and asked the supervisors if his presence made them uncomfortable, because that was the intent. 

“I walked into the building wearing this, and the law enforcement didn’t know what to do with me. They were confused. They tried to say, ‘Take off your mask,’” he said. “I said, ‘I'm a patriot. Trump says I'm a patriot. I'm allowed to do this.’ They said that I am a trespasser.”

He then said he doesn’t have a problem removing his face mask and was trying to make a statement on how intimidating it is for people when they see masked agents. 

Hahn said while there is still no clear answer on how all law enforcement should conduct themselves, the communities are asking for protection and the ordinance shows that Los Angeles County stands up to injustice and hate by working to hold all law enforcement officers accountable to their duty to protect and to serve. 

The motion passed with a unanimous vote, with Barger abstaining. The motion is expected to return to the Board of Supervisors in 60 days.