By Jasper Ward
May 7 (Reuters) – New York state is set to ban law enforcement from wearing masks while on duty, Governor Kathy Hochul said on Thursday, a move that is likely to be challenged by the Trump administration.
The announcement was made as Hochul, a Democrat, said an agreement had been reached with state lawmakers on New York’s 2027 budget, which included sweeping immigration changes.
Blake G. Washington, the state’s budget director, expects the bills to be passed by the Democratic-led legislature as soon as next week.
Under that agreement, state law enforcement will be prohibited from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on federal immigration efforts. It will also ban ICE from entering schools, healthcare facilities, homes and other sensitive locations without a judicial warrant.
“We’re also banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks, except in rare circumstances where there’s a genuine operational need, like a gas mask,” Hochul said.
“No members of state, local or federal law enforcement wear masks during ordinary operations,” she said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has federal oversight of immigration operations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other Democratic states, including California and New Jersey, have rolled out similar efforts prohibiting ICE from wearing masks while carrying out Republican President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration campaign.
The U.S. Justice Department sued those states challenging the bans. A federal judge struck down the California ban in February, saying that it “unlawfully discriminates against federal officers.”
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)