California’s governor has signed a bill to ban local and federal law enforcement officers, including with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from wearing face masks while on duty.
The ban, which comes into effect on 1 January 2026, is part of a series of bills that aims to protect residents from what Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has called “secret police” roaming the streets.
US Attorney Bill Essayli, a Trump appointee, said California “has no jurisdiction over the federal government”, adding the law has “no effect on our operations” and agents “will continue to protect their identities”.
The ban is in response to federal agents wearing masks during Los Angeles immigration raids.
The law makes exceptions for undercover agents, masks used to protect against disease or wildfires, and tactical gear.
President Donald Trump has ramped up immigration enforcement as a priority in his second term.
In June, a series of federal immigration raids in LA sparked violent protests against the Trump administration and ICE.
Trump deployed 700 US Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to the country’s second-largest city in reaction to the unrest.
California State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat who represents San Francisco, wrote the bill in response.
“No one wants masked officers roaming their communities and kidnapping people with impunity,” he said. “California will continue to stand for the rule of law and for basic freedoms.”
The legislation comes after the Supreme Court ruled that immigration enforcement stops in LA could continue for the time being without officers needing reasonable suspicion that a person may not be in the US legally.
That ruling allows officers to question and detain people based solely on their race, language or job while a legal challenge to recent immigration raids works its way through the courts.
As well as the ban on face coverings, a new bill also requires law enforcement officials to identify themselves while conducting duties by both name and badge number.
Other bills signed by Newsom on Saturday prohibit school officials and employees from allowing federal agents conducting immigration enforcement to enter school sites without a warrant, court order or judicial subpoena.
Families will also need to be informed when officers arrive at their children’s schools.
Student information and classrooms are also protected under these new laws.
Non-public areas of hospitals and emergency rooms are also off-limits to officers who do not have judicial warrants or court orders.
“Immigrants have rights and we have the right to stand up and push back,” Newsom said.
In a statement on Saturday, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called California’s new legislation “despicable” and a “flagrant attempt to endanger our officers”.
She said the officers at ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies “put their lives on the line every day” to do their jobs.
“Make no mistake, this type of rhetoric is contributing to the surge in assaults of officers through their repeated vilification and demonization.”
This is not the first time local officials have challenged the White House.
In August, the mayor of Chicago signed an orderdetailing how the city will resist a potential immigration crackdown threatened by the Trump administration.
By BBC News
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