California bans most U.S. regulation enforcement officers from sporting masks throughout operations

California would be the first U.S. state to ban most regulation enforcement, together with federal immigration brokers, from protecting their faces whereas conducting official enterprise beneath a invoice signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday (September 20, 2025).

The ban is California’s direct response to a current collection of immigration raids in Los Angeles the place federal brokers wore masks whereas making mass arrests. The raids prompted a dayslong protest throughout the town and led President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard troops and Marines to the realm.

But it is unclear how — or whether or not — the state can implement the ban on the federal brokers who’ve been finishing up these raids. A U.S. Homeland Security official known as the laws “despicable” in an announcement this week, including that the ban would solely put officers in peril.

The Department of Homeland Security mentioned it had despatched letters Friday (September 19) to the attorneys normal in California, Illinois and New York reinforcing earlier directions that the Democrat-led states honour detainers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for “prison unlawful aliens inside their jurisdictions.” D.H.S. mentioned in an announcement Saturday (September 20) that if the states didn’t comply, it might pursue “all acceptable measures to finish their inadvisable and irresponsible obstruction.”

Governor Newsom, a Democrat who has railed on federal brokers’ use of masks throughout official enterprise, mentioned the measure will assist California push again on federal overreach. He signed the invoice in Los Angeles, flanked by state lawmakers and immigrant group members.

The new regulation prohibits neck gators, ski masks and different facial coverings for native and federal officers, together with immigration enforcement brokers, whereas they conduct official enterprise. It makes exceptions for undercover brokers, medical masks reminiscent of N95 respirators or tactical gear. It would not apply to state police.

Trump administration officers have persistently defended the follow, saying that immigration brokers have confronted strident and rising harassment in public and on-line as they’ve gone about their enforcement in service of Mr. Trump’s drive towards mass deportation, and hiding their identities is for his or her and their households’ security.

Federal brokers are already instructed to determine themselves and put on vests with I.C.E. or Homeland Security markers throughout operations, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin mentioned in an announcement this week.

“The women and men at C.B.P., I.C.E., and all of our federal regulation enforcement companies put their lives on the road day-after-day to arrest violent prison unlawful aliens to guard and defend the lives of American residents,” she mentioned.

Democrats in Congress and lawmakers in a number of states, together with Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, have additionally launched related proposals calling for masks bans for regulation enforcement officers.

Proponents mentioned the masks ban is very wanted after the Supreme Court earlier this month dominated that the federal administration can resume the sweeping immigration operations in Los Angeles. The new regulation goals to spice up public belief in regulation enforcement and cease individuals from impersonating officers to commit crimes, supporters mentioned.

Constitutional regulation professional Erwin Chemerinsky on the University of California, Berkeley, additionally defended the laws. Federal staff nonetheless need to comply with normal state guidelines “until doing so would considerably intrude with the efficiency of their duties. For instance, whereas on the job, federal staff should cease at pink lights,” he wrote in an opinion piece for the Sacramento Bee.

The enhance in high-profile immigration enforcement was already contentious between these against the actions of Trump’s administration and people in help of them. The sight of masked brokers carrying it out is creating a complete new stage of battle.

The masks ban is amongst quite a few measures accepted by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in response to Trump’s immigration insurance policies of mass deportation. Newsom on Saturday additionally signed laws to forestall immigration brokers from getting into faculties and well being care amenities and not using a legitimate warrant or a judicial order and to require faculties to inform mother and father and academics when immigration brokers are on campus.

It’s a part of state lawmakers’ efforts to safeguard progressive values in California. The Legislature earlier this yr additionally authorised giving USD 50 million to California’s Department of Justice and different authorized teams, which has resulted in additional than 40 lawsuits towards the administration.