21 Democratic AGs demand Congress end masked ICE arrests

• It comes amid a spike in reports of ICE officers snatching people from streets, homes, workplaces and courthouses while concealing their identity and using unmarked vehicles.

State of play: In a letter to congressional leaders on Tuesday, the attorneys general called on Congress to pass legislation prohibiting federal immigration agents from hiding their faces and requiring them to display identification and agency insignia — with exceptions only in narrowly justified cases.

• They argue the tactics erode public trust, create confusion with criminal kidnappings, and violate core democratic values.

What they're saying: "We have watched these detentions with alarm, as the imagery evokes comparisons to repressive tactics that have no place in a free country," the letter states.

• ICE officers' "now routine practice of carrying out arrests in public spaces through masked agents who do not identify themselves as law enforcement has the effect of terrorizing communities rather than protecting them," it adds.

For the record: The letter was signed by attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

What we're watching: ICE's power is poised to vastly expand after President Trump secured $170 billion for immigration enforcement in the "big, beautiful bill."

• ICE's annual budget will jump from about $8 billion to roughly $28 billion, per the New York Times, making it the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

Go deeper: Axios Explains: Inside ICE's superpowers