WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, helped introduce legislation to require law enforcement officers conducting immigration enforcement activities to clearly display identification during public-facing operations to enhance safety, transparency, and accountability.
Without visible identification – such as badges, names or insignia – members of the public cannot reliably confirm whether they are engaging with legitimate government officials, creating safety and operational risks for the public and for law enforcement. There have been documented incidents where criminals have impersonated officials and killed, assaulted, or kidnapped individuals.
“Clear identification is a basic but essential safeguard that ensures accountability, strengthens public confidence, and protects the safety of both officers and members of the public,” said Senator Peters. “This legislation ensures federal officers display visible identification to support professional, safe, and transparent operations.”
The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement (VISIBLE) Act of 2025 would help prevent impersonation, reduce confusion, and enhance public cooperation during enforcement operations by requiring DHS personnel, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other deputized local law enforcement officers and agents, to display clearly legible identification — such as agency name or initials and a name or badge number. These identifications must be plainly visible and unobscured by gear.
Last month, Peters questioned U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing about widespread reports of federal law enforcement officers conducting enforcement operations without visible identification. Peters warned that the lack of identification could lead to confusion and escalate tensions during enforcement actions that could endanger both the public and the officers.
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