Immigration Law
Judge blocks California’s ban on federal agents wearing face masks; badges still required
A federal judge has blocked California’s ban on federal agents wearing face masks. Here, a masked federal agent roams the halls of the federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York City, in December seeking possible detainees. (Photo by Andrea Renault/Star Max/IPx via the Associated Press)
A federal judge has blocked a California law that would ban federal immigration agents from masking their faces but will require them to wear clear identification showing their agency and badge number, the Associated Press reports.
California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings under a bill that was signed in September following the summer of high-profile raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Los Angeles.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit in November challenging the laws, arguing that they would threaten the safety of officers who face harassment, doxing and violence, and that the laws violated the Constitution because the state should not regulate the federal government.
Senior U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder of the Central District of California said she issued the initial ruling because the mask ban did not also apply to state law enforcement authorities, discriminating against the federal government. The ruling could have national implications as states grapple with how to deal with federal agents enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, the AP story noted.
“The court finds that federal officers can perform their federal functions without wearing masks,” Snyder wrote.
The ruling will go into effect Feb. 19.
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