Federal agents block people protesting an ICE immigration raid at a nearby licensed cannabis farm on July 10, 2025 near Camarillo, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
OAN Staff Blake Wolf 3:16 PM – Friday, September 12, 2025
California state lawmakers passed a bill effectively banning law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while in public, seemingly as a direct defensive response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
The bill, signed on Thursday, now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-Calif.) desk for a final signature before being passed into law. Newsom has not yet announced his intention, and he has until October 12th to decide whether to sign it into law.
“We’re looking at the constitutionality of it,” Newsom said about the initiative.
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The legislation bars local and federal law enforcement from wearing ski masks, balaclavas, and other face coverings in public. It is a common occurrence for ICE agents to conceal their identity out of safety concerns.
Despite the concerns, California Democrat politicians argue that the ban is necessary to create accountability and avoid having a “secret police.”
“We are in a truly disaster of a situation where we have secret police, effectively, on our streets,” stated California Democrat state senator Scott Wiener (D-Calif.), the author of the bill.
“It’s tearing apart the fabric of society,” he continued. “You have communities in Southern California where people are scared to go out on the street, they’re scared to go to work, they’re scared to bring their kids to school. And now is the time for us to say what the rules are.”
On the flip side, GOP California lawmakers have quickly objected to the bill, arguing that the face coverings are necessary to protect agents and their families from potential retaliatory violence.
“Bad guys wear masks because they don’t want to get caught. Good guys wear masks because they don’t want to get killed,” stated Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Calif.).
Seyarto emphasized that parts of the bill are likely to be challenged in court. She also maintained that the state does not have the authority to regulate federal agencies.
Nonetheless, Wiener asserted that the law is constitutional and that federal agents are required to comply with laws ordered by state and local governments.
“There is no rule saying that just because you work with federal government, you’re exempt from all state law,” Wiener added.
🚨 WATCH: Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons returned to the press conference on Operation Patriot when a reporter asked why ICE agents wear masks:
“People are out there taking photos of the names and their faces and posting them online with death threats to their family.” pic.twitter.com/V7XqX8IrES
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 2, 2025
California State Sen. Scott Wiener’s proposed legislation banning our federal law enforcement from wearing masks and his rhetoric comparing ICE to “secret police” is despicable.
While ICE officers are being assaulted by rioters, a sanctuary politician is trying to outlaw… https://t.co/2nkeIjmlgg
