Democrats Soften Their Demand To Ban Masks For ICE | EUROtoday

WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on Wednesday appeared to melt their demand to ban masks on federal brokers.

In a press convention outlining their push for modifications to immigration enforcement insurance policies on the Department of Homeland Security, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described, for the primary time, small {qualifications} to their “no mask” calls for.

“I think there’s agreement that no masks should be deployed in an arbitrary and capricious fashion, as has been the case, horrifying the American people,” Jeffries stated.

Schumer adopted with an identical caveat, saying immigration authorities “need identification and no masks, except in extraordinary and unusual circumstances.”

In remarks this week, Schumer and Jeffries have been wholly dismissive of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers sporting masks.

“Police officers don’t wear masks. Sheriffs don’t wear masks. State troopers don’t wear masks. There’s no justification for the manner in which ICE is conducting itself in terms of masks,” Jeffries stated Tuesday in an interview with “PBS News Hour.”

“Defending ICE agents wearing masks and giving them special treatment, especially when they are so brutal and thuggy, is totally against the views of most Americans who want basic accountability,” Schumer stated Tuesday on the Senate flooring.

The obvious shift might replicate the issue Democrats face in forcing Republicans to conform to reforms for Border Patrol and ICE amid the Trump administration’s lethal immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Democrats stated they might formally define their calls for on Thursday; thus far, they’ve staked out their place solely by way of their public feedback.

A Democratic aide stated Democrats are simply ensuring the legislative textual content they suggest is in keeping with basic greatest practices for regulation enforcement.

Republican leaders have rejected the concept of banning masks, claiming federal officers want to cover their identities to keep away from being doxed. Still, with Trump’s blessing, they agreed to separate funding for the Department of Homeland Security from different federal businesses this week, organising a 10-day sprint for lawmakers to barter a bipartisan deal earlier than DHS runs out of funding.

After the press convention, Schumer ignored a query from HuffPost about whether or not Democrats had modified their place on masks. But Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who joined Jeffries and Schumer behind the lectern, stated there was no important shift.

“Just common sense dictates that there are sometimes safety reasons why you may need a mask,” Murphy advised HuffPost. “But no, I think our position is very clear, that if you’re using a mask to obscure your identity in everyday law enforcement, that should be prohibited by law.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who additionally participated within the press convention, stated Democrats had been talking to regulation enforcement specialists about what the masks exceptions ought to be.

“You heard the leaders talk about narrow exceptions, et cetera, which will have to do with trying to get that information from our law enforcement people about, you know, if you’re dealing with a cartel,” she stated. “This is to take a look at what those narrow exceptions should be, and that’s reasonable.”

Most Republicans, thus far, have proven little interest in unmasking federal officers in any circumstances, saying they face terroristic threats from left-wing activists.

“They’re trying to find their hotels. They’re trying to find out where they go to church. They’re trying to find out everything about them and dox them,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) advised HuffPost.

But Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) stated a wholesale masks ban could be manner worse than a tailor-made one.

“You got to get that right, you know, if you’re talking about on patrol, you know, outside of a potentially dangerous situation,” Tillis stated. “When you’re in the middle of an operation or … the no-knock warrants at 4 a.m. in the morning, I got no problem with those people going in, arresting bad guys, to not have their name tags on and to have their faces covered.”

Igor Bobic contributed reporting.