NYC lawmakers take on masked ICE agents with MELT Act. Here's what the legislation would do.
New York City elected officials plan to introduce a new bill that is designed to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks or other face coverings while acting as federal agents.
The proposed legislation is called the Mandating End to Lawless Tactics, or MELT, Act. City officials claim ICE agents wearing masks while making arrests is both illegal and stoking fear in the community.
ICE has said that face coverings are for its agents' protection, as threats against them have drastically increased since President Trump took office.
Lawmakers say the masks are about fear and intimidation
On Wednesday morning, City Comptroller Brad Lander, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Assemblymember Tony Simone unveiled the bill, which they said is in direct response to a recent increase in ICE funding, something city officials say will bolster the agency's presence in New York City.
"When police wear masks, democracy loses its face," Simone said. "I introduced the MELT Act to stop unmasked agents from terrorizing our communities. No badges, no names, no rules -- this must stop."
Lander spoke about what he claims are the dangers of masked ICE agents.
"It is, as the assemblymember made clear, done for the purpose of striking fear into asylum seekers and immigrants, with the hopes that they will be terrorized by masked gangs who seek to grab and abduct them," Lander said.
Lander has tangled with ICE agents before, having been arrested by them back on June 17 after defending a man who had just had his case dismissed in immigration court.
Advocates for the bill remain adamant that its passage will bring added peace.
"Underlying all of this, it's the guarantee of transparency and accountability," Levine said.
President Trump, DHS defend mask-wearing policy
While taking questions at the White House on Wednesday, the president spoke negatively against a similar federal bill proposed by Sens. Alex Padilla and Cory Booker that would require ICE agents to identify themselves.
"These officers are doing a tremendous job. They are great patriots," Mr. Trump said. "If you expose them because of statements that have been made by Democrats and others on the left, you put them in great danger, tremendous danger."
CBS News New York reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about the MELT Act, and received the following statement:
"First, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander assaulted our brave law enforcement. Now, he is comparing them to 'secret police.' Our agents are being assaulted by rioters with rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them and shot at. These sanctuary politicians must tone down their rhetoric. This despicable rhetoric about our brave law enforcement has contributed to a 700% increase in assaults against them," a spokesperson said.
"Additionally, Comptroller Lander has clearly never been on an ICE operation because he would see our officers verbally identify themselves, wear vests that say ICE/ERO or Homeland Security, and are flanked by vehicles that also say the name of the department. When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement. These arguments are getting a little desperate."
NYC officials warn of ICE detainment at immigration court
Lander joined Rep. Dan Goldman and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on Tuesday morning to witness firsthand what happens inside immigration courts, as city officials report some immigrants who show up face immediate detainment regardless of what is decided in the courtroom.
"This is an emergency for our democracy," Lander said. "As soon as they leave the courtroom, they are abducted by masked federal agents, many of them not wearing uniforms or badges, with, let's be clear, no legal basis for their abduction."
ICE data analyzed by CBS News revealed the agency surpassed 100,000 arrests in early June, and by the third week of the month 59,000 were being held in ICE detention.
"We will continue the fight until this stops, until we regain who we are as a country and who we are as people and until this administration follows the law," Goldman said.
