The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Monday over California’s new laws banning federal agents from wearing masks and requiring them to have identification while conducting operations in the state.<\/p>\n
The federal government has argued the laws threaten the safety of officers who are facing \u201cunprecedented\u201d harassment, doxing, and violence and said it will not comply with them.<\/p>\n
California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from\u00a0covering their faces<\/a>\u00a0while conducting official business under a bill that was\u00a0signed in September<\/a>\u00a0by Gov. Gavin Newsom.<\/p>\n The law prohibits neck gaiters, ski masks and other facial coverings for local and federal officers, including immigration enforcement agents, while they conduct official business. It makes exceptions for undercover agents, protective equipment like N95 respirators or tactical gear, and it does not apply to state police.<\/p>\n Newsom also signed legislation requiring law enforcement to wear clear identification showing their agency and badge number while on the job. The laws require federal law enforcement agencies to issue a mask policy by July 1, 2026, and a visible identification policy by Jan. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia\u2019s anti-law enforcement policies discriminate against the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release.<\/p>\n The lawsuit said there have been multiple incidents where Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were followed and their families threatened. It cites a case of three women in Los Angeles who are being accused of livestreaming while\u00a0following an ICE agent<\/a>\u00a0home and posting the address on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the personal threats and violence that agents face, federal law enforcement agencies allow their officers to choose whether to wear masks to protect their identities and provide an extra layer of security,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n Newsom has called the practice of masked federal agents arresting people across the state \u201cdystopian.\u201d<\/p>\n