Pima County leaders heard from members of the public Tuesday morning about a proposed county ordinance that would require ICE agents to identify themselves and limit masks.
This measure would advance a resolution approved by supervisors last month that bars the use of masks for law enforcement, including ICE, if officers are not otherwise identifiable.
An ordinance would make the policy more legally enforceable.
Sam Brown, chief civil deputy at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, said his team is monitoring a similar policy in California — and the legal case it sparked — to ensure the county's ordinance would be legally defensible.
“Every time an order comes out in that case, it provides some insight into how the court is interpreting laws and ordinances like this, so it’s an ever-evolving analysis,” he said.
Some community members argued the proposal didn’t go far enough. Others said it could force local law enforcement to police federal agencies.
Supervisors agreed unanimously to push the discussion and ordinance vote to their next meeting.
A separate resolution passed by supervisors last month bars ICE from using county-owned property without a warrant signed by a judge. The agency has routinely used administrative warrants in operations, which are instead approved internally by Department of Homeland Security personnel.
County leaders say the measure is enough to instruct staff how to respond to ICE activity on county property, and it will remain a resolution, rather than ordinance, for now.
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