Orlando residents deserve to know who is enforcing the law in our city.

Across the country, federal immigration enforcement has intensified. In recent months, large-scale ICE operations have taken place in Florida. At the same time, national attention has focused on fatal immigration enforcement incidents in Minnesota, where masked federal agents were involved in deadly shootings that sparked protests and widespread fear.

These events have raised urgent questions about transparency and accountability.

When armed officers approach someone wearing identity-obscuring masks, it creates confusion and fear — not only for the person being stopped, but for bystanders who cannot tell whether they are witnessing a lawful operation or something far more dangerous. Law enforcement impersonation cases have already been reported in multiple states. Clear identification protects residents and officers alike.

St. Paul, Minnesota, recently passed a city ordinance requiring law enforcement officers — including federal agents — to show their faces and wear visible identification while performing enforcement activities. Orlando can lead in Florida by adopting similar transparency standards.

This petition does not seek to block lawful immigration enforcement. It calls for accountability. Any ordinance should include reasonable exceptions for SWAT operations, medical masks, and hazardous conditions. But routine enforcement in public spaces should not be conducted anonymously.

We urge the Orlando City Council and Mayor Buddy Dyer to introduce and pass an ordinance requiring any law enforcement officer operating in Orlando — local, state, or federal — to perform enforcement activities without identity-obscuring masks and to display visible agency identification.

Transparency ensures public safety and accountability. Orlando must act now.