Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 389: Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies; covered immigration officers wear visible identification during public immigration enforcement functions; require

Last action January 14, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would require federal immigration officers performing public enforcement actions in the state to wear visible identification showing their agency and name or badge number, and would generally bar them from wearing face coverings during those actions.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.

In plain language

Georgia law currently has no state requirement about how federal immigration officers identify themselves during public enforcement actions like arrests, stops, or raids. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's law enforcement code (O.C.G.A. Chapter 1 of Title 35) that applies to 'covered immigration officers,' defined as officers or employees of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who are authorized to carry out immigration enforcement. Under the bill, these officers would have to wear visible identification, showing 'United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement' or 'ICE' plus their last name or badge number, whenever they are directly engaged in public-facing enforcement activity such as patrols, stops, arrests, searches, raids, checkpoints, or serving warrants. The identification must be legible from at least 25 feet, visible day and night, and worn on the outermost layer of clothing or gear where it cannot be hidden. Officers would generally be barred from wearing masks, hoods, or balaclavas that hide their face or the required identification, except when needed to protect a covert operation or for protection against hazardous conditions. Covert operations and nonenforcement activities are excluded from these rules.

What the bill does

Adds a new Georgia Code section requiring ICE officers performing public immigration enforcement functions in Georgia to wear visible identification.
Defines which activities count as 'public immigration enforcement functions,' including patrols, stops, arrests, searches, raids, checkpoints, and warrant service, while excluding covert operations.
Specifies that identification must show 'ICE' or the agency's full name plus the officer's last name or badge number, legible from 25 feet in day and night conditions.
Requires the identification to be worn on the outermost garment where it cannot be concealed by tactical gear, armor, or accessories.
Prohibits officers from wearing face coverings like masks, hoods, or balaclavas that hide their face or required ID, unless needed for a covert operation or protection from hazardous conditions.

Who it affects

This bill directly affects officers and employees of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who carry out public immigration enforcement in Georgia, as well as the people they interact with during stops, arrests, raids, and checkpoints, who would be able to see identifying information about the officers involved.

Why it matters

If enacted, people encountering ICE officers during public enforcement actions in Georgia, such as stops or raids, would generally be able to see the agency name and an officer's name or badge number, and officers would largely be barred from masking their identity, changing what the public can observe during these encounters.

Key provisions

Section 1 adds new Code Section 35-1-17.1 to Georgia law, defining 'covered immigration officer' as an ICE officer or employee authorized to perform immigration enforcement.
Subsection (a)(2) defines 'public immigration enforcement function' broadly to include patrols, stops, arrests, searches, interviews, raids, checkpoints, and warrant service, but excludes covert or nonpublic operations.
Subsection (b) requires covered officers to wear visible identification at all times while directly engaged in a public immigration enforcement function.
Subsection (c) sets specific display standards: legible from 25 feet, visible in daylight and low light, worn on the outermost garment, and not concealable by gear or armor.
Subsection (d) bars nonmedical face coverings that hide an officer's face or required identification, with exceptions for covert operations or hazardous environmental conditions.
Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“A covered immigration officer who directly engages in a public immigration enforcement function within this state shall wear visible identification at all times during such function.”
This is the bill's core requirement that ICE officers display identification during public enforcement actions.

“A covered immigration officer shall not wear nonmedical face coverings, including masks, hoods, or balaclavas, which impair the visibility of the identifying information required under this Code section or hide, conceal, or cover such officer's face”
This provision generally bars officers from masking their identity during public enforcement, with limited exceptions.

Status timeline

2026-01-14Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-01-13Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

immigration enforcement
ICE officer identification
law enforcement transparency
face coverings
immigration policy

Ask about this bill

Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb389.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp