Today's News: California Enacts Law Banning Law Enforcement Masks and Restricting ICE Operations
The new laws also limit federal immigration agents' access to schools and hospitals without warrants and require identification.
Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times
Overview
Date: September 20, 2025
Summary: California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of five bills on September 20, 2025, notably a first-in-the-nation law prohibiting federal immigration agents and other law enforcement from wearing identity-concealing masks while on duty. This legislative action is a direct response to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and recent operations by masked federal agents in Southern California, which Newsom described as “dystopian.” The new laws also limit federal immigration agents' access to schools and hospitals without warrants and require identification.
Sources
The New York Times - California Bars ICE Agents From Wearing Masks in the State
NBC News - California bans most law enforcement officers from wearing masks during operations
The Washington Post - California bans federal agents from using masks to hide their faces
Sacramento Bee - Gavin Newsom signs bills limiting ICE contact and law enforcement masking in CA
Key Points
California is the first state to pass a law banning law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from wearing identity-concealing masks during official duties.
The legislation is a direct response to President Trump’s deportation crackdown and recent operations by masked federal agents in Southern California, which drew widespread criticism.
Governor Newsom and proponents of the law argue that masked agents erode transparency, foster fear, and make it harder to hold them accountable, likening the practice to a “dystopian sci-fi movie” or “secret police tactics.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and opponents of the bill argue that masks are necessary for officer safety, protecting them from doxing, harassment, and assaults from “terrorist sympathizers” and sophisticated gangs.
The law is expected to face immediate legal challenges, particularly concerning California’s authority to regulate federal agents, with legal experts suggesting it may reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
In addition to the mask ban, Governor Newsom signed other bills that restrict federal immigration agents from entering schools and health care facilities without warrants and require identification or badge numbers for all law enforcement.
Exceptions to the mask ban include medical masks, clear plastic face shields, respirators, eye protection, undercover operations, and tactical gear.
Several other Democratic-led states, including New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, have introduced similar proposals for mask restrictions.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times highlights that, before this year, state and local leaders had been passing more laws toward greater transparency, such as requiring body cameras. It also details constitutional law professor Aya Gruber’s strong prediction that the law will be “100 percent” challenged and likely heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, which she believes will not take the state’s side, suggesting it may be a “symbolic piece of legislation.”
NBC News provides specific demographic context, stating that 27% of California’s residents are foreign-born. It also notes the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration to resume sweeping immigration operations in Los Angeles and mentions the California Legislature authorized $50 million for the state’s Department of Justice and other legal groups, leading to over 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Fox News uniquely states that the bill would also impose a civil penalty against officers for “tortious conduct,” including false imprisonment or false arrest of an individual while wearing a facial covering.
The Washington Post identifies Governor Newsom as an “expected contender for the Democratic nomination in 2028.” It also clarifies that there is no constitutional protection or prohibition against immigration officers wearing masks or face coverings, but it’s not standard law enforcement practice due to intimidation concerns.
Sacramento Bee details the broader context of California being at the center of the White House’s escalated immigration agenda for months, specifying that agents have “stormed job sites, Home Depot parking lots, courtrooms, and a campaign rally.” It cites specific gangs, Tren de Aragua and MS-13, mentioned by the Department of Homeland Security as reasons for agents needing masks. The article also mentions a judge’s ruling that Trump’s seizure of the California National Guard was illegal.
Los Angeles Times identifies specific bill numbers and their authors within the package: SB 98 by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, AB 49 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, SB 81 by Sen. Jesse Arreguín, SB 627 by Sens. Scott Wiener and Jesse Arreguín, and SB 805 by Pérez. It also specifies that the mask ban (SB 627) “would exempt state police such as California Highway Patrol officers.” The article describes a specific incident of masked agents arresting an undocumented man delivering strawberries during a Newsom event in Little Tokyo. It also mentions Connecticut banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks inside state courthouses.
Contrasting Details
Application to State/Local Law Enforcement:
The New York Times and Peace Officers Research Association of California (quoted in The New York Times) suggest the law, due to jurisdictional issues, “would ultimately apply only to local law enforcement officers,” calling this a “troubling betrayal.”
In contrast, Fox News states the bill makes it a misdemeanor crime for “local, state, or federal law enforcement” to wear masks.
The Los Angeles Times specifically notes that SB 627, the mask ban bill, “would exempt state police such as California Highway Patrol officers,” which implies a more limited application to state law enforcement than broadly stated in other articles.
Data on Officer Assaults:
Governor Newsom, as quoted by NBC News and Sacramento Bee, asserts that the Department of Homeland Security “will not provide the data” for their claims of an “exponential increase in assaults on officers,” suggesting the claims are “unfounded and unproven.”
Conversely, Fox News and The Washington Post directly quote Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stating the agency is experiencing a “1,000% surge in assaults against ICE officers.”
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