(NewsNation) — ICE agents have been faced with heightened scrutiny in major cities across the U.S. as the agency ramps up immigration arrests.
ICE agents often wear masks during their operations, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat, recently said she did not know of any other police agency that wears masks like the immigration agents do. She also noted that controversial groups, including the neo-Nazi organization NSC-131, do wear them.
In a post on social platform X, the Department of Homeland Security called Wu’s remarks “sickening,” and that they wear the masks to protect themselves from being targeted.
Leah Foley, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, also said the agents are protecting themselves, and that she will continue to defend them against Wu’s claims, as they are just doing their jobs.
“She called them secret agents, and compared them to neo-Nazis,” Foley said. “That is false, it’s outrageous and it’s offensive.”
Foley added that agents have been videotaped and had their photos taken on the job, and that it is putting them and their families in jeopardy. She said doxxing of federal agents will not be tolerated.