Do ICE officers wear uniforms during immigration raids or plainclothes operations?

1. The official capacity: there are uniforms and branded apparel available

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security support uniforms and agency-branded apparel for personnel, and federal procurement and internal policy recognize marked identification as part of agency operations, reflected in agency documents and the existence of authorized ICE-branded clothing sold to federal employees ^{[4] [1]}. The presence of formal policy and branded apparel demonstrates that ICE can and does present itself in identifiable, uniformed form when that is operationally required or appropriate ^{[4] [1]}.

2. Plainclothes, tactical vests and “ruses”: a documented pattern in community reporting

Community groups, legal advocates and multiple local news investigations document that many ICE encounters involve agents in plainclothes—anything from jeans and t‑shirts to business attire—or wearing tactical vests and masks that do not clearly identify them as ICE, and that the agency has trained and deployed tactics that can obscure identity, sometimes using ruses to gain access ^{[2] [3] [5] [6]}. Advocacy research obtained via FOIA and reported toolkits describe ICE training on ruses and note incidents where agents arrived in clothing “unmarked on the front side” or in attire resembling local police, which contributes to confusion and fear in immigrant communities ^{[2] [5]}.

3. Tactical teams and multi‑agency mixes produce varied uniforms and gear

More heavily armed or specialized operations frequently involve Special Response Teams or multi‑agency task forces where clothing ranges from camouflage and military‑style gear to marked tactical vests and plainclothes “spotters,” and other federal partners (FBI, U.S. Marshals, state deputies) may wear distinct uniforms or unmarked gear, making it hard for bystanders to identify who is an ICE officer versus another federal or local law enforcement officer ^[7]. Reporting from Southern California and national outlets shows raids where some participants wore military gear while others were in civilian clothes or masks, underscoring the operational variety ^{[7] [8]}.

4. Why the mix matters: legal, safety and political consequences

The use of plainclothes and ambiguous identification has led to legal challenges, public outcry and allegations that such tactics enable impersonation or excessive force; watchdogs and journalists document instances where masked or unidentifiable agents were accused of aggressive tactics and where critics warn that mixed attire can enable vigilantism and mistakes ^{[9] [10] [8]}. Conversely, officials and proponents argue that plainclothes and tactical dress are legitimate law‑enforcement tools for undercover work, officer safety and operational effectiveness; public posts and government videos celebrating arrests also illustrate an incentive to portray enforcement broadly, which can influence how operations are staged and filmed ^{[11] [10]}.

5. Bottom line: both uniforms and plainclothes are used; reporting limits full procedural clarity

The straight answer is that ICE officers do sometimes wear marked uniforms but frequently operate in plainclothes, unmarked or tactical attire and may use ruses or vests that say “POLICE” rather than “ICE,” a pattern extensively documented by immigrant‑rights groups, local reporting and investigative outlets ^{[1] [2] [3] [5] [7]}. Publicly available ICE policy documents show agency structure and operational directives but do not fully resolve how often or under what exact circumstances marked uniforms must be worn in every type of raid; reporting and advocacy sources fill much of that gap by documenting practice on the ground ^{[4] [2]}.