VISIBLE Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4667 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4667

To amend section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require
all immigration enforcement officers to display visible identification
  during public-facing immigration enforcement actions and to promote
                    transparency and accountability.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2025

Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas (for himself, Ms. Chu, Ms. Kamlager-Dove,
 and Ms. Escobar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
  the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on
 Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require
all immigration enforcement officers to display visible identification
  during public-facing immigration enforcement actions and to promote
                    transparency and accountability.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Visible Identification Standards for
Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act of 2025'' or the ``VISIBLE Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) transparency and accountability in public immigration
        enforcement are essential to maintaining public trust and
        upholding constitutional governance; and
            (2) immigration enforcement officers should be visibly
        identifiable during any civil immigration enforcement activity
        at which members of the public may be directly engaged or
        present, including actions involving civil and criminal
        authority, unless the activity is truly covert and not
        observable by the public.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT FOR VISIBLE IDENTIFICATION DURING IMMIGRATION
              ENFORCEMENT.

    Section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1357)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i)(1) In this subsection:
            ``(A) The term `covered immigration officer' means any
        individual who is--
                    ``(i) authorized to perform immigration enforcement
                functions; and
                    ``(ii)(I) an officer or employee of U.S. Customs
                and Border Protection;
                    ``(II) an officer or employee of U.S. Immigration
                and Customs Enforcement; or
                    ``(III) an individual authorized, deputized, or
                designated under Federal law, regulation, or agreement
                to perform immigration enforcement functions, including
                pursuant to section 287(g) or any other delegation or
                agreement with the Department of Homeland Security.
            ``(B) The term `public immigration enforcement function'--
                    ``(i) means any activity that involves the direct
                exercise of Federal immigration authority through
                public-facing actions, including a patrol, a stop, an
                arrest, a search, an interview to determine immigration
                status, a raid, a checkpoint inspection, or the service
                of a judicial or administrative warrant; and
                    ``(ii) does not include covert, non-public
                operations or non-enforcement activities.
            ``(C) The term `visible identification' means a display of
        an immigration officer's agency and name or badge number in a
        size and format that complies with the requirements under
        paragraph (3).
    ``(2) Each covered immigration officer who directly engages in a
public immigration enforcement function within the United States shall,
at all times during such engagement, wear visible identification, which
shall include--
            ``(A) the full name or widely recognized initials of the
        officer's employing agency; and
            ``(B)(i) the officer's last name; or
            ``(ii) the officer's unique badge or identification number.
    ``(3) The identifying information described in this paragraph shall
be--
            ``(A) for the immigration officer's agency, displayed in a
        size and format that is clearly legible from a distance of not
        less than 25 feet, using materials or markings suitable for
        visibility in both daylight and low-light conditions, under
        normal operation conditions;
            ``(B) for the officer's name or badge number, displayed in
        a manner that is clearly visible and readable during direct
        engagement with the public; and
            ``(C) displayed on the outermost garment or gear and not
        obscured by tactical equipment, body armor, or accessories.
    ``(4) Covered immigration officers may not wear non-medical face
coverings, including masks or balaclavas, that impair the visibility of
the identifying information required under this subsection or obscure
the officer's face unless such face coverings are operationally
necessary--
            ``(A) to protect the integrity of a covert, non-public
        operation; or
            ``(B) to guard against hazardous environmental
        conditions.''.

SEC. 4. COMPLIANCE AND REPORTING.

    (a) Internal Accountability.--The Secretary of Homeland Security
shall ensure that any covered immigration officer who fails to comply
with the requirements under section 287(i) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act, as added by section 3, receive appropriate
administrative discipline, including written reprimand, suspension, or
other personnel actions, consistent with agency policy and any
applicable collective bargaining agreement.
    (b) Annual Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report to the Office for
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland
Security, the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, the Committee
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, and the
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives that
includes--
            (1) the total number of public immigration enforcement
        functions conducted during the reporting period;
            (2) the number of documented instances of noncompliance
        with section 287(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as
        added by section 3; and
            (3) a summary of disciplinary or remedial actions taken
        against those responsible for such instances of noncompliance.

SEC. 5. ROLE OF THE OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES.

    The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department
of Homeland Security shall--
            (1) receive and investigate complaints from the public
        concerning violations of section 287(i) of the Immigration and
        Nationality Act, as added by section 3;
            (2) issue recommendations to relevant Department of
        Homeland Security components concerning compliance and
        corrective actions that should be taken;
            (3) include findings and actions taken pursuant to this
        Act, including information contained in the report received
        pursuant to section 4(b), in its annual public report submitted
        pursuant to section 705(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002
        (6 U.S.C. 345(b)); and
            (4) carry out the responsibilities under this section in
        accordance with its statutory authorities, which may include
        coordination with the Office of Inspector General of the
        Department, as appropriate.
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