ICE Enforcement & Face Coverings (2026)

Senate Page, Meiling Hou, asks Senators from the Senate Law and Justice Committee about the recent piece of legislation that passed off the Senate Floor, a bill that would require law enforcement officers to not wear face masks. Senators Manka Dhingra and Phil Fortunato respond to her question with their thoughts.

Question: Hi! I am Meiling Hou, a junior from the Bear Creek School in Redmond, Washington. I learned that the Senate Law and Justice committee recently passed a bill that would enforce limitations on when law enforcement officers can wear face coverings while performing their duties. While this bill focuses on enhancing the accountability of the officers and public transparency, do you believe that there are cases where exceptions could be made in which an officer's safety might need to be maintained?

Discussion/Comprehension Questions:

Why does Senator Fortunato say that law enforcement needs to wear masks?
What did Senator Fortunato do to have his concerns addressed?
Senator Dhingra and Senator Fortunato spoke of exceptions to law enforcement officers wearing masks. What exceptions were part of the bill?
According to Senator Dhingra, why was this bill developed?
How are the legislators’ ideas similar and different from one another?


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