Ocasio-Cortez to introduce bill requiring federal officers to identify themselves

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezBiden on refugee cap: 'We couldn't do two things at once' A proposal to tackle congressional inside trading: Invest in the US Biden angers Democrats by keeping Trump-era refugee cap MORE (D-N.Y.) and District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes NortonEleanor Holmes NortonHouse committee approves DC statehood bill House committee expected to pass DC statehood bill on Wednesday DC delegate pushes for removing Capitol fence despite car attack MORE (D) will introduce a bill that would require all federal law enforcement officials to clearly identify themselves.

The bill would compel all on-duty agents to clearly display their agency name, their own last name and their identification number and would create a new oversight process within the Justice Department requiring recurring audits by its inspector general, The Nation reported.

While the issue has dominated the news in recent days since the Department of Homeland Security Personnel, many of them in unmarked vehicles, descended on Portland, Ore., Ocasio-Cortez’s office told the publication the legislation had been in the works before they were dispatched.

“Lots of lawyers are asking the same thing: Where’s the transparency? Unidentified internal security forces are apprehending American citizens, and accounts allege these apprehension processes are more similar to overseas renditions than traditional arrests,” Irvin McCullough, deputy director of legislation at the Government Accountability Project, told The Nation after viewing the draft bill.

“Citizens deserve to know who’s arresting them—or at least what entity—to report any abuses they suffer or witness,” he added.

“Federal law enforcement officers should have their identifying information displayed while on duty,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “This is basic.”

Federal law enforcement officers should have their identifying information displayed while on duty.

This is basic.@EleanorNorton and I have introduced legislation to make it law:https://t.co/xcL1j15STo

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 20, 2020

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad WolfChad WolfIntel heads to resume worldwide threats hearing scrapped under Trump Sunday shows preview: Democrats eye passage of infrastructure bill; health experts warn of fourth coronavirus wave Russia suspected of massive State Department email hack: report MORE has said local officials’ approval is not needed to launch such operations, and President TrumpDonald TrumpDC goes to the dogs — Major and Champ, that is Biden on refugee cap: 'We couldn't do two things at once' Taylor Greene defends 'America First' effort, pushes back on critics MORE on Monday suggested similar deployments are in the works for other major cities.

The officers’ presence has also drawn criticism from Sen. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Tax March - CDC in limbo on J&J vax verdict; Rep. Brady retiring Anti-Asian hate crimes bill overcomes first Senate hurdle Fauci on Tucker Carlson vaccine comments: 'Typical crazy conspiracy theory' MORE (R-Ky.), who tweeted Monday that “local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will.”