Unmarked, plate-less vehicles have been used in immigration-related arrests across the United States, according to videos reviewed by NPR and accounts from activists and former officials, raising concerns about transparency and accountability as the Trump administration ramps up mass arrest and deportations.
In a TikTok video from September, a masked man in a tactical vest sprints across a Chicago street toward a Ford SUV with no rear license plate as others in police gear climb inside. Red-and-blue lights flash while bystanders shout that immigration agents are "separating families." The vehicle bears no markings indicating it belongs to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or any other federal agency.
