California Gov. Gavin Newsom is escalating his protests against the Trump administration's policies to crack down on and deport undocumented immigrants. Newsom, who has publicly criticized the Trump administration, recently moved to personally block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "masked agents" who have been sowing fear in local communities.
According to CNN and other foreign media on the 21st (local time), Newsom signed a bill the previous day that bans federal agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities while conducting law enforcement activities. As a result, beginning Jan. 1 next year, ICE agents will be barred in California from wearing face-covering gear such as balaclavas and ski masks during immigration enforcement.
The bill makes it a crime for law enforcement agents, including ICE agents, to cover their faces while on duty, except in specifically defined circumstances. However, medical or surgical masks for disease prevention are allowed, and an exception also applies to SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) agents. It also requires all law enforcement agencies operating in California to establish and disclose policies limiting face coverings by Jul. 1 next year.
Foreign media assessed the move as Newsom's direct response to a recent large-scale immigration sweep in LA carried out by masked ICE agents. Earlier, in June, the Trump administration launched a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, and when protests erupted against it, it ordered the California National Guard to be converted into federal forces for 60 days to quell the unrest. At the time, Newsom criticized, saying, "President Trump is fomenting fear and terror by failing to abide by the Constitution and overstepping his authority."
Newsom criticized ICE's immigration enforcement, saying unmarked vehicles and masked people show up and people disappear, calling it "like a dystopian science-fiction movie." He went on to sign the bill while emphasizing that 27% of California residents were born abroad. He said, "We respect diversity. That is the force that makes California great and makes America great," adding, "But America is under attack right now." The remarks run directly counter to the Trump administration's policy line of pressing ahead with immigration crackdowns.
Newsom signed a total of five bills that day, including the provision banning mask wearing. The other bills include: ▲ prohibiting ICE agents from entering schools without a valid judicial warrant ▲ requiring school administrators to notify families if agents are present on campus ▲ prohibiting medical personnel from sharing a patient's immigration status without a search warrant ▲ requiring all law enforcement agencies to display identification or badge numbers.
The Washington Post (WP) reported, "The mask ban is one of five bills Gov. Newsom, who has long harbored ambitions of reaching the White House, signed Saturday to counter President Trump's immigration crackdown." It also said, "This is the first time a law of this nature has been enacted in the United States," adding, "The move aims to end ICE agents' practices that have been criticized for undermining transparency, stoking fear, and enabling criminals to impersonate federal agents."
The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, has allowed mask wearing during enforcement, citing agents' personal safety, among other reasons. Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security Spokesperson, said in a statement that California's new law is "vile," calling it "a blatant attempt to jeopardize the safety of our agents." She also said there has been a rise in cases of agents being attacked during immigration operations, including being hit with rocks or Molotov cocktails.
Some also argue it will be difficult for a state government to force federal agents to comply with a mask ban. Bill Esseily, acting U.S. attorney in California, said on the social media platform X that "California has no jurisdiction over the federal government," adding, "Mask bans implemented by each agency will have no effect on operations."
Setting aside the bill's legal issues, the push to ban ICE agents from wearing masks appears to be spreading to other regions. Lawmakers in several states, including Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, as well as Democratic members of Congress, are said to have introduced similar bills.