In the wake of multiple assaults on immigration enforcement officials across the country, national Republicans are accusing Orange County Democratic Reps. Dave Min and Derek Tran of putting them further in harm’s way after the pair cosponsored a bill that would prohibit immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks.
The bill, H.R. 4176, would prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing any face covering that conceals their identity — a move critics say could open them up to harassment by activists opposed to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“It’s disgusting that Derek Tran and Dave Min haven’t condemned calls to doxx, hunt, and harass law enforcement,” Christian Martinez, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement.
The proposal comes amid a series of high-profile attacks on ICE and border agents. Earlier this month, an active shooter attempted to ambush and kill several agents at a facility in McAllen, Texas. In a separate incident over the Fourth of July weekend, 10 people were arrested and charged with attempted murder after attacking a facility in Prairieland, Texas, with fireworks and shooting an officer in the neck. According to the Department of Homeland Security, assaults against ICE agents increased 830% from January to June compared with the same period last year.
In a recent op-ed for the Orange County Register, Min described ICE as “essentially operating as a lawless paramilitary operation” and said the agency was “completely unaccountable and totally out of control.”
Republicans argue that ICE officials are already facing unprecedented harassment simply for doing their jobs and that requiring agents to expose their faces could enable activists to identify and target them and their families.
ICE itself recently accused California Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal of endangering one of their officers after he shared the business card of an ICE agent executing a criminal search warrant with a mob of protesters that were throwing rocks. That same agent, according to a post from ICE on X, was struck with a rock and injured.
“ICE officers are being doxxed, physically assaulted and attacked — in some cases, their families are even being threatened,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. “Instead of spending their time further demonizing heroic ICE officers, Democratic politicians should dial back the rhetoric and tell their supporters to stop attacking law enforcement.”
Min and Tran aren’t the only officials in Orange County calling to unmask ICE agents. Council members in the city of Orange are considering a resolution that would require immigration enforcement officers to forgo masks and identify themselves when conducting sweeps. Meanwhile, Democrats in the California Legislature are advancing their own bill similar to the one backed by Min and Tran. It remains unclear whether state or local governments could enforce such measures, since ICE operates at the federal level.
Orange County has seen a surge in ICE activity since the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration began. Mirroring anti-ICE riots that rocked Los Angeles in June, a protest outside the Santa Ana Federal Building turned violent after some demonstrators targeted personnel and property with rocks, mortars, bottles and fireworks, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
Last month, in the wake of the protests, Republican Rep. Young Kim of Orange County introduced a resolution in Congress to “express gratitude” to law enforcement, including ICE, for keeping “our communities safe in the face of danger.”
The resolution passed 215–195, with a handful of Democrats voting in favor. Both Min and Tran voted against it.
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