Springfield city commissioners urged federal officers to skip wearing masks and carry ID while in the city limits.
City Law Director Jill Allen said they can’t require federal agents to follow the same policies as their local law enforcement officers.
So commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday night requesting federal agencies to do so, saying it supports safety and security for residents.
The resolution comes as many in the community are bracing for possible Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. That's because Temporary Protected Status for Haitians is set to end on Feb. 3. Springfield is home to an estimated 12,000-15,000 Haitians.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue described the resolution as a "voted wish."
"We would hope that federal agents would treat our residents with dignity and respect, and that I would hope that they would reveal their faces as other law enforcement officers have to," he said at the commission meeting.
City Commissioner Larry Ricketts agreed, saying people wearing masks who weren’t law enforcement showed up in Springfield when the city and its Haitian community was catapulted into the national spotlight amid the 2024 presidential campaign.
It’s easy to buy camouflage and fake IDs, Ricketts said, so it’s important to know who really is an ICE agent and who isn't.
"This commission finds the priority of safety and well-being of its residents, businesses, visitors, and employees of utmost importance," the resolution says. "This commission hereby urges federal law enforcement operating in Springfield to comply with city policies on masks and officer identification to preserve the public peace within the community."
The city can't make policy or plans based on speculation about what — if any — immigration actions could be coming, Rue said, and misinformation is spreading fear.
Springfield officials and law enforcement leaders have been communicating with one another and other agencies, the mayor said, to "share timely and accurate and verified information whenever possible."
"Nobody is sitting idle that works for the city," he said. "And everybody is paying attention to what could be. However, the reality is that there are so many unknowns."
