The Department of Homeland Security is openly defying California’s latest law.
On Monday, DHS said it will not comply with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ban on federal agents wearing masks during enforcement operations. “To be clear: We will NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban,” the agency wrote on X.
The department argued the masks are critical for officer safety. ICE agents, they said, have seen a surge in violent encounters and face growing threats to their families. “At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt,” DHS declared.
Newsom signed the first-of-its-kind legislation on Saturday. He said it was about ensuring “accountability” and “transparency” for citizens. “That’s Trump’s America, but that’s not the America we’ve grown up in. And so we are pushing back,” Newsom told students at a California high school.
The governor framed the masks as a shield that allows ICE to avoid scrutiny. He said their removal would give the public the oversight it deserves.
California has often clashed with federal immigration authorities. The state, home to the largest immigrant population in the country, has been a frequent target of ICE operations. DHS reported that 5,000 immigrants living in the U.S. illegally were arrested in Los Angeles alone between June and August.
The mask battle adds a new flashpoint to the ongoing war between Sacramento and Washington over immigration enforcement.