House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) issued a stark warning to federal immigration enforcement officers during a Thursday press conference, declaring his intention to publicly identify masked ICE agents conducting deportation operations across the nation.
The New York Democrat’s announcement comes as White House border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly emphasized that ICE agents wear protective masks during raids specifically because of escalating death threats targeting both the officers and their family members.
Homan addressed the mask controversy directly with reporters last week, explaining the security concerns facing federal immigration officers.
“Yeah, the assaults on ICE officers are high. The doxing of ICE officers are at an all-time high. And people always complain, some of you here, say why are they wearing masks? Because they’re trying to protect themselves and their families,” Homan stated.
The border czar further detailed the dangerous environment ICE agents face while performing their duties.
“They’ve got a dangerous job to do, and they’re being doxed every day across this country. I’ve experienced myself a hundred times,” he added.
Despite these documented security threats and acts of violence against federal agents, Jeffries remained resolute in his position during the press conference.
The House minority leader made clear his determination to strip away the protective anonymity these officers rely upon for their safety.
“Every single ICE agent who’s engaged in this aggressive overreach and are trying to hide their identities from the American people will be unsuccessful in doing that,” Jeffries declared to assembled reporters.
The Democratic leader escalated his rhetoric by drawing historical comparisons between current immigration enforcement and authoritarian regimes.
Jeffries compared ICE agents to the Gestapo and NKVD agents from the Soviet Union era.
He emphasized his commitment to exposing agent identities regardless of the time and resources required.
“This is not the 1930’s. And every single one of them, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes, will of course be identified,” he said.
“That in fact is the law. And we’re going to make sure that the American people have the transparency necessary to hold people accountable.”
The House minority leader cited recent incidents involving Democratic lawmakers as justification for his position.
He referenced the arrest of Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), who was captured on video physically confronting federal agents during a confrontation at an ICE facility last month.
McIver was recorded elbowing and shoving federal officers when she joined several colleagues in what Jeffries characterized as addressing ICE “overreach.”
The incident occurred when the group of Democratic representatives stormed the federal immigration facility.
Jeffries defended the lawmakers’ actions and framed their intervention as necessary oversight.
“And we’ve got to address those issues first. That’s the human thing to do, while simultaneously, of course, preparing to deal with the broader policy implications, which as I mentioned, are underway,” he told reporters.
The timing of Jeffries’ threat proves particularly concerning given recent violent incidents targeting ICE personnel.
Just one day before his press conference, Trending Politics reported that an unidentified man in Philadelphia issued death threats against agents conducting immigration operations in the city.
The Philadelphia incident involved explicit calls for violence against federal officers.
“You know what, when people start fighting back, then what y’all gonna do? Y’all gonna shoot every American? When we start fighting back, what y’all gonna do?” the man shouted during the confrontation.
The unidentified individual escalated his threats with increasingly violent language directed at the federal agents.
“Y’all gonna shoot Americans then? Because that’s what we’re gonna start doing. We’re gonna start fighting back,” he said. “That’s what we’re gonna start doing, fighting back.
