The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the state of California on Monday, alleging its law banning federal immigration officers from wearing face masks is unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit, filed<\/a> in the Central District of California against California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), says that the state does not have the authority to regulate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.<\/p>\n Newsom signed<\/a> the No Secret Police Act and No Vigilantes Act into law in September. The pair of measures, which take effect on Jan. 1, ban federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks while carrying out operations in the state and require non-uniformed officers to visibly display identification while performing their duties, respectively.<\/p>\n Before signing the acts into law, Newsom said<\/a> that federal immigration officers would no longer be \u201chidden from accountability\u201d while conducting operations in the Golden State.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not the America we\u2019ve grown up in. And so we are pushing back,\u201d the governor added at the time.<\/p>\n The lawsuit, filed on Monday, however, asks the court to declare that the laws violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution and issue a preliminary injunction prohibiting California law enforcement officers from enforcing these laws.<\/p>\n The Supremacy Clause states<\/a> that federal law is the \u201csupreme Law of the Land,\u201d usurping the authority of state law.<\/p>\n The suit also alleges that the California laws violate Article 5, Section 301 of the U.S. Code, which states<\/a> that agency heads \u201cmay prescribe regulations for the government of his department [and] the conduct of its employees.\u201d<\/p>\n In a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release<\/a> on Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the California laws \u201cdiscriminate against the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents.\u201d<\/p>\n Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom, told The Hill Monday that the governor\u2019s administration \u201cwill see the [DOJ] in court.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Trump administration cared half as much about public safety as it does about pardoning cop-beaters, violating people\u2019s rights, and detaining U.S. citizens and their kids, our communities would be much safer,\u201d she added, referencing President Trump pardoning over 1,000 individuals involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.<\/p>\n After Newsom signed the acts into law, the Trump administration instructed<\/a> ICE officers to ignore their requirements. The Department of Homeland Security, citing an increase in threats towards ICE officers, said<\/a> on the social platform X on Sept. 22, it will<\/a> \u201cNOT comply with Gavin Newsom\u2019s unconstitutional mask ban.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit uses similar reasoning, saying the California laws \u201cwould recklessly endanger the lives of federal agents and their family members and compromise the operational effectiveness of federal law enforcement activities.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Trump returned to office in January, ICE has conducted sweeping raids across the country, including in California. As of 2023, roughly 2.25 million undocumented migrants lived in the state, the most of any in the country, according to the Pew Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n The raids received pushback in Los Angeles earlier this year, when protests in various parts of the city led Trump to deploy the California National Guard and Marine personnel, against Newsom\u2019s wishes. A federal judge ruled<\/a> the president\u2019s move was unconstitutional in September.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n