ICE Issues New Dress-Code Policy After Las Vegas Arrest Video

Acting ICE Director David Venturella signed a guidance memo that revises the agency’s Employee Code of Conduct. The memo mandates that officers conducting field operations wear “readily identifiable ICE attire,” including a ballistic vest for high-visibility missions, khaki or coyote-brown tactical pants, and an ICE-branded polo. Dark-blue or black polos are also permitted, while jeans, hoodies, non-collared shirts and graphic apparel are prohibited. The policy further requires a visible ICE badge at the moment of arrest, even during low-visibility operations.

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The directive follows a series of high-profile incidents. Fatal shootings by ICE officers in Texas and Maine earlier this year prompted internal reviews. The immediate catalyst was a July 13 video captured at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, showing two plain-clothes ICE officers in hooded sweatshirts tackling a man in a busy terminal. The man, later identified as Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian national who had overstayed his visa, was left handcuffed after officers abandoned the arrest amid a gathering crowd. ICE officials told The Intercept the episode “didn’t look professional” and highlighted the absence of a badge during the attempt.

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The Department of Homeland Security’s press office attributed the Las Vegas disruption to “anti-ICE agitators” who surrounded officers, saying the crowd forced a de-escalation for officer safety. The memo also emphasizes that all arresting officers must display an ICE badge during arrests.

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Civil-rights advocates and some elected officials have long called for mandatory identification. Several state attorneys general have urged Congress to legislate required ICE insignia, echoing concerns that anonymity erodes public trust.

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• “It’s because of the incident that happened in Las Vegas,” — the ICE official

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• “What an embarrassment the Vegas video was,” — the second ICE official

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• “I would say the writing’s on the wall,” — one ICE official

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