Who Will Enforce California’s Ban on Masks for Law Enforcement?

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the “No Secret Police Act” over the weekend, officially passing the state bill barring local and federal law enforcement from covering their faces — a bill drafted in response to the aggressive increase in masked federal agents making immigration-related arrests throughout California in recent months. 

But questions remain over the enforcement of the new law, as the federal government has announced its intention to continue to allow ICE officers to wear masks, leading to a likely legal standoff between California and the Trump administration when the law goes into effect in January 2026.

When Governor Newsom signed the bill on September 20, he said the impact of the Trump administration’s policy of allowing immigration enforcement with unidentified agents was “terrifying.” 

“It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie,” Newsom said. “Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing. No due process, no rights in a democracy where we have rights. Immigrants have rights, and we have the right to stand up and push back, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”

The law would call for misdemeanor infractions for officers who willfully violate California’s statute and civil penalties for officers who commit abuse while masked. It carves out several exemptions for medical masks or specialized situations such as SWAT teams and undercover operations. But there are larger concerns among immigrant rights advocates, who worry that the federal government will simply ignore the new state law.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a response on its official social media account Monday morning, confirming that it would disregard California’s new bill: “To be clear: We will NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban,” the statement read, calling the bill “unconstitutional” and a “disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt.”

Bill Essayli, acting U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles — the district with the highest number of arrests by masked immigration enforcement officers — also published a statement on social media, saying that he has directed federal agencies that the new law “has no effect on our operations.” 

“Our agents will continue to protect their identities,” he added.

The bill’s main author, Senator Scott Weiner, said that California will “continue to stand for the rule of law and for basic freedoms.”

“No one wants masked officers roaming their communities and kidnapping people with impunity,” he said.

Advocates with the 805 Immigrant Coalition — which has been on the front lines providing resources to families impacted by federal immigration enforcement — said the new law is a step toward “providing critical protections” for the Central Coast’s immigrant community, though organizers remain cautious about the legal challenges that are likely to arise in the coming months.

“We will continue monitoring closely and standing with our immigrant and migrant families through every step,” the group wrote in a statement on social media.