Newsom signs anti-ICE bill banning federal law enforcement from wearing masks

https://nypost.com/2025/09/20/us-news/california-bans-all-masking-including-by-ice-agents/

Newsom signs anti-ICE bill banning federal law enforcement from wearing 
masks
By Chris Harris
Published Sep. 20, 2025, 7:52 p.m. ET

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Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills on 
Saturday banning masking statewide, as part of a concentrated effort to 
bar Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from concealing their 
identities during raids.

The five bills Newsom signed into law Saturday “make California the 
first state in the nation to prohibit federal law enforcement officers, 
including ICE, from hiding their identities,” according to a press 
release from his office.

The anti-ICE moves also make “it less likely that federal immigration 
enforcement officers target children in classrooms and patients in 
hospitals,” the statement continued.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing event.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom teased the new masking legislation with 
an X post.
Getty Images
Under the new legislation, law and immigrant enforcement officers must 
remain identifiable “by name or badge number,” and “masks are not to be 
worn except when absolutely necessary.”

Newsom’s office did not say how they would enforce such a rule against a 
federal agency, though they did talk at length about how much they 
oppose ICE’s recent actions.

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“ICE agents have wrongfully arrested citizens, concealed their 
identities, and undermined transparency,” the statement adds. “They 
dismantled rules that once kept enforcement away from schools, 
hospitals, and churches, fueling student absences and eroding community 
trust.

Law enforcement officers arresting a demonstrator during an immigration 
protest.
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Demonstrations outside federal buildings have led to scores of arrests.
AFP via Getty Images
“Our places of learning and healing must never be turned into the 
hunting grounds this federal administration has tried to make them out 
to be,” Newsom’s statement continues. “I have sat with mothers who are 
afraid to send their children to school, and with farmworker families 
who live every day with the fear of being torn apart. No family should 
ever have to carry that weight. California is choosing true public safety.”

The new law will require notification to families when immigration 
enforcement intends on visiting a school.

Emergency rooms and other nonpublic areas within hospitals are off 
limits to immigration enforcement “without a judicial warrant or court 
order, and it clarifies that immigration information collected by a 
health care provider is protected as medical information.”


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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at a bill signing event 
related to redistricting.
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Newsom has been a staunch critic of the Trump administration’s policies.
Getty Images
Newsom announced the new laws hours after taking to X to tease Homeland 
Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying she was about to have “a bad day.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said he referred the X post the U.S. 
Secret Service for a threat assessment.