Fact check: Can ICE agents wear plain clothes during operations?

1. Summary of the results

Yes, ICE agents can and do wear plain clothes during operations. Multiple sources confirm this practice is currently standard procedure for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, the lead plaintiff in a Los Angeles lawsuit, directly witnessed ICE agents wearing plain clothes and masks during operations, describing how "agents in plain clothes poured out of unmarked cars and arrested him without asking for identification" ^[1]. This testimony provides concrete evidence of the practice from someone who experienced it firsthand.

The practice is so common that GQ magazine has analyzed ICE agents' clothing choices, describing their attire as "Dropshipped Normcore" and noting they "often wear gaiter-style masks, which makes it difficult to distinguish them from civilians" ^[2]. This analysis reveals that plain clothes operations are not only permitted but have become a deliberate strategy for anonymity.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the ongoing legislative and legal challenges to this practice. Representative Elissa Slotkin has introduced the VISIBLE Act, which would require federal immigration agents to wear visible identification during public enforcement operations ^{[3] [4]}. This proposed legislation specifically aims to require immigration enforcement officers to display "clearly legible identification, including their agency name or initials and either their name or badge number, and prohibit non-medical face coverings" ^[4].

The controversy has reached federal courts, with a federal judge ordering a stop to indiscriminate immigration raids in Los Angeles ^[1], suggesting that the plain clothes practice has raised significant legal and constitutional concerns about accountability and civil rights.

Civil rights advocates would benefit from restricting plain clothes operations as it would increase transparency and accountability, while ICE leadership benefits from maintaining current practices as it allows for more covert operations and potentially higher arrest rates during enforcement activities.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral and factual, simply asking about ICE agents' clothing policies. However, it lacks important context about the controversy and legal challenges surrounding this practice. The question doesn't acknowledge that this is currently a contested issue with proposed federal legislation specifically designed to change these practices ^{[3] [4]}.

The framing could be seen as incomplete because it doesn't mention that the plain clothes practice has been criticized for making it difficult to distinguish ICE agents from civilians ^[2], which has raised concerns about public safety and civil rights violations during enforcement operations.