Following reports that the use of face coverings has enabled individuals involved in the 6 January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol to gain employment as ICE agents, the U.S. Congress has opened an inquiry into the issue.

This development comes amid growing public resentment following multiple fatal shootings by ICE agents across the U.S., as well as the agency’s use of tactics long associated with the criminal underworld.

The use of unmarked vehicles and face coverings by ICE officials—which critics say not only impedes public access to accountability measures in cases of ICE misconduct but also emboldens officials to abuse their authority—has further inflamed the situation.

Seeking to defuse some of the controversy, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that redesigned, soon-to-be-released ICE uniforms will feature capes, in an effort to normalise the face masks worn by ICE agents.

“Faceless, nameless law enforcement officials committing atrocities against the public in broad daylight may appear cartoonishly villainous; however, seeing the masks in the context of capes will likely evoke subliminal comparisons to the superheroes Americans have come to love and admire in comics and movies. Over time, this could lead to increased public comfort with masked ICE agents,” a DHS spokesperson explained.