Bipartisan DHS Bill Mandates Uniforms and Body Cameras for ICE But Keeps Allowing Face Coverings

A bipartisan funding package for the Department of Homeland Security would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to wear uniforms and body cameras, while stopping short of banning face coverings that have drawn growing criticism from Democrats and civil liberties groups.

The legislation, negotiated by Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Susan Collins, would fund DHS through the end of September and trim ICE's enforcement and removal budget by $115 million, while keeping the agency's overall funding flat.

The bill also directs $20 million toward body-worn cameras for ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers and mandates de-escalation training.

Murray said the provisions were intended to curb what she described as abusive enforcement practices, as The Spokesman Review reported. "ICE is out-of-control, terrorizing people, including American citizens, and actively making our communities less safe," she said in a statement. She added that while the bill falls short of broader reforms sought by Democrats, it reflects the limits of divided government.

The measure requires agents to wear uniforms and activate body cameras during operations, except when working undercover. It does not prohibit officers from covering their faces, a practice that has become a flashpoint after videos circulated online showing masked ICE agents confronting residents and protesters, particularly in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer on Jan. 7.

Progressive lawmakers argued the bill leaves key accountability gaps. Pramila Jayapal, the top Democrat on the House immigration subcommittee, said the compromise "simply does not meet the moment," citing the absence of requirements for visible identification or bans on face coverings. "Without real accountability and guardrails, I simply cannot support this bill," she said.

ICE has defended the use of face coverings, saying in past statements that agents sometimes conceal their identities to protect themselves and their families from threats. The Department of Homeland Security has also said officers are permitted to wear masks for safety reasons, a justification civil liberties groups dispute.

The American Civil Liberties Union has argued that masked enforcement undermines transparency and public trust, particularly during street-level operations.

The funding package also restricts DHS's ability to shift money across accounts and adds oversight of how the agency uses a large infusion of funds approved last year by Republicans. Murray said allowing DHS funding to lapse would not halt enforcement, noting ICE already has access to billions of dollars appropriated earlier. "A shutdown would do nothing to restrain it," she said.

Republicans, who hold narrow majorities in both chambers, can advance the bill in the House with a simple majority. In the Senate, at least seven Democrats would need to join Republicans to overcome the filibuster. Lawmakers face a Jan. 30 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown.