Governor Newsom signed a series of bills Saturday that aim to keep local and federal law enforcement in check during immigration crackdowns in California. Officers can no longer wear masks during official duties and will be required to identify themselves.
As KQED reports, Newsom held an event in Los Angeles Saturday where he signed the new immigration bills. In addition to the mask ban, schools will be prohibited from allowing ICE agents on campus without a warrant, and they’ll be required to notify students when agents will be on campus. Additionally, agents will be barred from entering restricted areas of schools and health care facilities without a judicial warrant or court order, per KQED.
“Immigrants have rights and we have the right to stand up and push back,” Newsom said during the signing event, via CalMatters.
The new laws I just enacted are a direct response to @realDonaldTrump's lawless immigration raids and arrests in California.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) September 20, 2025
California is fighting to end this chaos by:
💥Requiring schools and public hospitals to limit access and implement privacy protocols to protect against… pic.twitter.com/6TxsWVIAUu
As Politico notes, Newsom previously debated whether the state has any jurisdiction to enforce an officer mask ban federally but concluded Saturday that if the state cooperates with federal procedures, officers shouldn’t be given blanket immunity. He pointed out that federal agents never needed to hide their identities in the past, and they shouldn’t need to do so now.
“Federal operations have been conducted for decades and decades without masks,” he said. “It’s never been necessary. It’s a new construct conceived to terrorize our diverse communities, to instill fear and chaos.”
Newsom said he anticipates resistance from the federal government but concluded, “We’re going to test the theory,” per Politico.
“What are you afraid of?” Newsom asked, directed at ICE agents, via Politico. “You’re going to go out and you’re going to do enforcement — provide an ID. Tell us which agency you represent. Provide us basic information that all local law enforcement is required to provide.”
As KPIX reports, US Attorney Bill Essayli said on X that federal agents will continue wearing masks. “I've directed our federal agencies that the law signed today has no effect on our operations,” Essayli said. “Our agents will continue to protect their identities.”
The State of California has no jurisdiction over the federal government. If Newsom wants to regulate our agents, he must go through Congress.
— Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) September 20, 2025
I’ve directed our federal agencies that the law signed today has no effect on our operations. Our agents will continue to protect their… https://t.co/yqndOh7S62
Additionally, as CalMatters writes, the mask ban was opposed by law enforcement agencies throughout the state as the ban also includes local police.
“It’s using an emotionally charged issue on a federal level to pass a bill that will only affect local peace officers,” said Brian Marvel, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, per CalMatters. “You’re upset with the feds, but you’re going to punish us.”
Per CalMatters, Senator Scott Wiener, who authored the mask ban bill, stressed during a legislative hearing in August that law enforcement officers hiding their identities erodes trust. “ICE’s recklessness creates chaos as agents run around with what are effectively ski masks and no identification, grabbing people, throwing them in unmarked vehicles, and disappearing them,” he said. “When law enforcement officers hide their identities, it destroys community trust.”
“All of this legislative resistance is to protect Angelenos from our own federal government,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at the event, per Politico. “That is profound.”
Note: Information about local law enforcement opposing the mask ban was added after publishing.
Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
