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ACR 173

Urges U.S. President and Congress to enact "Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act of 2025."

2024-2025 Regular Session Introduced by Annette Quijano

Urges federal passage of the VISIBLE Act to require immigration officers to wear visible ID, display names, curb impersonation, with annual DHS OCRL reporting and oversight.

Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee
#immigration #memorializat
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Bill Summary · ACR 173

Summary of Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 173 – Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act of 2025

Overview

ACR 173 is a concurrent resolution introduced in the New Jersey Assembly on November 17, 2025. Sponsored by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (District 20, Union), the measure is non-binding and serves as a memorial urging federal action. It requests the President and Congress to enact the federal “Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act of 2025” (the VISIBLE Act), introduced in the U.S. Senate as S.2212 on July 8, 2025. The resolution has been referred to the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee and has a companion bill in the Senate (SCR 139).

Purpose and intent

  • To promote transparency, accountability, and public trust in immigration enforcement actions.
  • To ensure that individuals can clearly identify immigration enforcement officers during public-facing actions.
  • To address concerns about impersonation of federal agents and related potential abuses.
  • To align New Jersey policy goals with the federal push for clearer identification and accountability of immigration enforcement personnel.

Key provisions of the VISIBLE Act (as described in ACR 173)

Note: The details below reflect the federal bill that ACR 173 urges Congress and the President to enact.

  • Applicability: Requires officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or any individual authorized, deputized, or designated to perform immigration enforcement to wear visible identification during public immigration enforcement actions.
  • Identification display: Officers must display their full name or widely recognized initials of the employing agency, and their last name or badge number.
  • Face coverings: Prohibits non-medical face coverings during public enforcement actions unless required for covert operations or to address environmental hazards.
  • Accountability and discipline: The Secretary of Homeland Security must discipline officers who fail to comply with the Act’s provisions.
  • Reporting requirements: The Secretary must issue an annual report to the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (OCRL) within DHS and to several congressional committees detailing enforcement of the Act.
  • Public complaints and recommendations: The OCRL is tasked with investigating public complaints about immigration enforcement actions, issuing compliance recommendations to relevant DHS components, and including these findings in its annual public report.

Who and what would be affected

  • Federal immigration enforcement officers (CBP, ICE, and others deputized or designated to perform immigration enforcement).
  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), particularly the Secretary and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (OCRL).
  • Congressional oversight entities receiving annual reports and recommendations.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The NJ resolution is a non-binding memorial urging federal action rather than directing state policy.
  • Status in New Jersey: Introduced and referred to the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee.
  • The resolution directs transmission of its text to federal leaders (President, Vice President, Senate and House leaders, all U.S. Senators and Representatives from New Jersey, and the DHS Secretary).
  • Related legislation: SCR 139 is the Senate companion bill.

Potential impact

  • If federal action proceeds and the VISIBLE Act is enacted, immigration enforcement would operate with standardized visible identification, improving accountability and reducing impersonation risks.
  • As a memorial, ACR 173 signals state-level support for federal reform but does not by itself impose New Jersey requirements on federal officers.
  • The act’s reporting and complaint-investigation provisions would create ongoing federal-level oversight mechanisms in immigration enforcement.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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