Chris Cuomo is no stranger to sparring with politicians, but on Monday night, the former CNN host and current NewsNation anchor delivered a scathing critique aimed squarely at Democrats. Their offense? Focusing on ICE agents’ face coverings while the country grapples with an immigration enforcement crisis and a surge in violence against federal agents.

“Democrats are pushing legislation that would require ICE agents to remove their masks when arresting illegal migrants — or I guess arresting anyone,” Cuomo told viewers on his show “CUOMO.” He then asked the obvious question: “Why is that the focus?”

The bill in question, introduced by Sens. Cory Booker (NJ) and Alex Padilla (CA), would bar federal immigration agents from wearing face masks in most enforcement situations. But Cuomo didn’t buy the rationale. In his view, the move is just another example of performative politics catering to outrage clicks.

“This is the BS that works on social media,” Cuomo fumed. “The mask? Let me tell you, there’s good reason and sus reason for them to wear masks. If you were getting doxed based on what you did at work, you might be a little bit more careful about your identity also.”

His point wasn’t hypothetical. Cuomo highlighted a Department of Homeland Security press release accusing Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal of doxing an ICE agent—an action that allegedly led to the officer being attacked by rioters and hospitalized. “That’s messed up,” Cuomo said. “Let’s have the fight about the policies—but who gives a damn about the mask?”

The debate comes at a time of escalating violence targeting immigration officials. Over the July 4 holiday weekend, an armed assault on a Texas ICE facility left one police officer wounded. Another shooting days later targeted Border Patrol agents at a Texas post. These incidents come amid a broader spike in assaults on federal officers—reportedly up 700% year over year.

Former ICE Director Tom Homan backed the agents’ right to wear masks, pointing out the clear and present danger they face. “I support ICE wearing masks. They’re still wearing insignia… but there needs to be some level of protection,” Homan told Politico’s Dasha Burns, who had questioned the need for the policy. “The attacks are unprecedented—700% for God’s sake.”

But instead of unifying around agent safety, Democrats are pushing legislation that could expose ICE personnel to further danger, critics argue. Booker and Padilla have defended their bill as a transparency measure, claiming it would prevent abuses during arrests. Yet Cuomo contends that the real problems—immigration policy, Fourth Amendment challenges, and enforcement jurisdiction—are being ignored in favor of symbolism.

“You want to do something meaningful? Fight about what the policy should be,” he said, arguing that masking rules are little more than a distraction from the deeper failures plaguing immigration enforcement.

The controversy also arrives amid growing concern from the public and law enforcement alike about anti-ICE activism that’s growing more militant. From calls to defund the agency to groups like Save America Movement fundraising to deploy “mobile response teams” to ICE raids, critics say immigration officials are being turned into political scapegoats.

Cuomo’s bottom line? If lawmakers want to show they care about border security, they should prove it with real reforms, not by making it harder for officers to protect their identities.

And with attacks on agents on the rise, the former CNN anchor’s fiery rebuke may have hit a nerve—not just with Democrats but with voters wondering why Washington is always focused on the optics, not the outcomes.