There’s a clear and simple promise Democrats could make to voters about ICE one that people would easily understand and support.
Recently in Chicago, federal agents wearing masks essentially Trump’s immigration enforcers expanded their raids across the city. The result was chaos and violence. Agents chased a car through a residential area, used tear gas and smoke grenades, and frightened residents.
Photos showed heavily armed ICE officers pointing guns at people. Even Chicago police officers, who tried to calm things down, ended up getting hit with tear gas. These scenes show how divided and tense the country has become exactly what Trump and his advisor Stephen Miller want.
This gives Democrats a chance to take a strong position. Instead of just criticizing these actions, they can promise a better way one that doesn’t rely on fear and force. They can stand for accountability, compassion, and sanity in immigration enforcement.
Some Democrats in Congress are already talking about ways to limit ICE’s power if they win the majority in the next election. Representative Eric Swalwell from California said that Democrats might tie ICE’s funding to new rules like banning agents from wearing masks during operations. “When we are in the majority, the masks are coming off,” he said.
A few Democrats have already introduced a bill that would require agents to show their faces and display ID cards, but Swalwell and others want to go further. They’re saying that if ICE keeps letting agents wear masks, Congress shouldn’t fund the agency at all.
This push for accountability comes after a string of disturbing incidents. An American citizen was wrongly detained and brutally mistreated. A Mexican immigrant was killed by ICE agents under questionable circumstances. A minister was shot in the head with a pepper ball while praying. And during the recent Chicago raid, teenagers were reportedly slammed to the ground by masked agents, with at least one U.S. citizen held for hours.
Meanwhile, Trump officials have tried to justify these raids by claiming they were targeting dangerous gangs but those claims are falling apart under scrutiny. NBC News found that in one major raid, officials said the building was “filled with terrorists,” yet only one person had even a possible link to a gang.
These patterns show why Democrats need to act. Oversight of ICE and other Homeland Security operations is weak. The internal offices that are supposed to investigate misconduct often fail to do so. When an ICE officer was suspended for assaulting a woman, he was reinstated almost immediately. As one former ICE chief of staff put it, the system seems designed to let officers do whatever they want.
Republican leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson refuse to even acknowledge these abuses. That’s why Democrats are planning to hold hearings and force ICE and DHS officials to testify under oath if they regain control of the House. “We have to show them there are consequences,” Swalwell said.
Democrats could also strengthen internal watchdogs at the Department of Homeland Security and make them independent from political influence. The goal, as one expert said, should be to make sure these agencies respect constitutional rights.
Some Democrats might worry that pushing back against ICE will make them look weak on border security. But it doesn’t have to. They can support strong, fair immigration policies while still opposing a federal police force that behaves like an occupying army. As Representative Daniel Goldman said, Democrats can uphold the rule of law and still call out law enforcement when it breaks that law.
This issue is also connecting with people who don’t normally follow politics. Even figures like Joe Rogan have condemned ICE’s actions, and country singer Zach Bryan has written songs about it. Their criticism shows that frustration with ICE’s behavior reaches across political and cultural lines.
Trump supporters are trying to paint Democrats as anti-police for opposing ICE’s abuses, but it’s not working. Public support for ICE has dropped sharply, even among independents. The sight of masked, militarized agents is making many Americans uncomfortable it feels too much like something out of a dictatorship.
Swalwell says when he talks about “taking the masks off” at public events, audiences respond enthusiastically. It’s a powerful, simple message: no more hiding, no more fear, no more impunity. And with Trump allies planning to expand ICE even further, this issue is only going to grow more urgent.
The message is clear: the masks are coming off. It’s short, easy to understand, and stands for transparency, accountability, and basic American decency.
