Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick supports banning masks for ICE agents as lawmakers mull funding and reforms at DHS

Fallon Roth, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Feb 12, 2026

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As the Department of Homeland Security approaches an increasingly likely shutdown this weekend, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said reforms to ICE, including banning masks for federal immigration agents, should be a part of any funding extensions for DHS.

“I’m the only federal agent in Congress,” Fitzpatrick, who served in the FBI for 14 years, said in an interview Thursday. “I spent my whole professional career as an FBI agent. Never once did I wear a mask, never. Executing a search warrant, arrest warrant, you name it, because you need to be transparent. You need to identify yourself. The whole function of policing requires the trust of the public.”

ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol, the agencies involved in the fatal shootings of two American citizens last month in Minnesota, both fall under DHS, which will enter a shutdown if lawmakers do not reach a funding deal by Friday.

U.S. Border Patrol and ICE would continue to operate after receiving funding from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but a lapse in funding to DHS would impact other agencies under the department, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, of which many employees would be working without pay.

Democrats have demanded that restrictions on masking and other reforms to immigration enforcement be part of any funding deal.

Fitzpatrick, who represents a purple district, is rare among Republicans in accepting Democrats’ proposal as Congress grapples with a national reckoning over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown after federal agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in shootingscaught on video.

“There is broken trust between the public and ICE, and we have to restore that trust,” Fitzpatrick said.

“And the only way you restore that trust is by enacting reforms that are going to rebuild that social contract,” he continued. “Because policing is a social contract, whether it be local law enforcement or federal law enforcement.”

In the aftermath of the shootings in Minnesota, the House ended a four-day government shutdown earlier this month by passing a five-bill funding package that excluded DHS. Fitzpatrick, who voted for the House bill, said he would aim to work with Democrats to come up with a solution.

Negotiations on DHS’ allocation appeared to be at a standstill Thursday ahead of lawmakers going on a 10-day break, making a partial shutdown appear likely. In the U.S. Senate, a vote to advance a funding bill was rejected 52-47 Thursday, falling short of the necessary 60-vote threshold, The Associated Press reported.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa) was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans for the measure. He also opposes prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks, putting himself at odds with members of his party.

“The agents wearing masks, I think primarily that’s driven by people are going to dox those people. That’s a serious concern, too, absolutely,” Fetterman said in a Fox News interview with Jacqui Heinrich (who is engaged to Fitzpatrick).

Whether ICE agents should be allowed to wear masks has become a point of contention since the escalation of Trump’s immigration policies, with legislative bodies across the U.S., including in Philadelphia City Council, introducing legislation to prohibit them.

Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said Thursday that he believes there is “unanimity” among lawmakers in Washington D.C. for reforms, like requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras andprohibiting them from wearing masks.

The Bucks County lawmaker, one of nine Republicans representing a district that went for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024, has frequently touted his willingness to break with Trump on issues, such as voting to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and opposing the final passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. (Democratic opponents note that he cast a key vote to advance an earlier version of Trump’s legislation).

As for next steps, Fitzpatrick said he and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D., N.Y.), co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus with Fitzpatrick, are continuing to communicate with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as discussions over DHS funding and reforms continues.

“I would hope that we can all agree that everybody needs to be treated humanely and with respect and with dignity, that everybody believes in upholding the rule of law, everybody believes in the constitutional rights of everybody in this country,” Fitzpatrick said.