A Los Angeles judge blocked California from enforcing a law that would require ICE agents to remove masks during immigration enforcement operations.
District Court Judge Christina Snyder argued that California’s “No Secret Police Act” violates the Supremacy Clause and declared that federal laws must take precedence over other state or local laws.
“The Court finds that federal officers can perform their federal functions without wearing masks,” Snyder said. “However, because the No Secret Police Act, as presently enacted, does not apply equally to all law enforcement officers in the state, it unlawfully discriminates against federal officers. Because such discrimination violates the Supremacy Clause, the Court is constrained to enjoin the facial covering prohibition.”
According to SB 627, the “routine use of facial coverings by law enforcement officers has significant implications for public perception, officer-community interactions, and accountability.” Facial coverings may cause members of the public to “experience fear or intimidation when approached by officers whose faces are obscured” and “may lead to misinterpretation of tone or intent.”
“Following our arguments, a district court in California BLOCKED the enforcement of a law that would have banned federal agents from wearing masks to protect their identities,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X, celebrating the decision. “These federal agents are harassed, doxxed, obstructed, and attacked on a regular basis just for doing their jobs. We have no tolerance for it. We will continue fighting and winning in court for President Trump’s law-and-order agenda — and we will ALWAYS have the backs of our great federal law enforcement officers.”
While the judge blocked the mask ban, the state’s “No Vigilantes Act” will remain in effect. The law requires officers to show their agency and identification on their uniforms.
