House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faced criticism after he defended the wearing of masks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during immigration raids.
Johnson was asked on Fox News to respond to concerns from Democrats who say ICE agents shouldn’t conceal their identities while conducting arrests as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“From the people who mandated mask-wearing for years in America, it’s absurd,” Johnson fired back, referencing the face-covering measures that were initially adopted with bipartisan support during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, though Democrats continued to encourage them for a longer period.
“They need to back off of ICE and respect our agents and stop protesting against them,” he added, arguing that agents would be doxed if they were able to be identified.
Critics pointed out the irony of Johnson’s acceptance of agents wearing masks, given his history of opposing mask mandates for medical reasons, and suggested he had conjured up an extreme example of false equivalence.
Agents should be able to be held accountable, they argued.
Johnson was also criticized over the weekend for dismissing concerns about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s talk of active-duty Marines being sent to handle protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
“I don’t think that’s heavy-handed,” Johnson said.
