A US federal judge has temporarily suspended the validity of a California law that prohibited armed immigration officers from covering their faces with masks during field operations. He also confirmed that they are required to wear a badge with their number in a visible place. TASR writes about it based on a report by the AFP agency.
The use of masks by some heavily armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during the raids has drawn criticism in cities run by Democratic officials.
Court ruling on masks
Judge Christina Snyder called California’s face-covering law for ICE agents discriminatory because it did not apply to members of the state security forces.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media to call the court’s decision a victory after her department challenged the law. “We will continue to fight and win in court for President Trump’s law and order agenda — and we will ALWAYS stand behind our great law enforcement officers,” she wrote.
Mandatory badges for agents
However, the court upheld a measure that requires ICE agents to wear their ID badge in a visible location. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called keeping the mandate a partial victory. “A federal court just upheld a California law that REQUIRES federal agents to identify themselves. California will continue to defend civil rights and our democracy,” he wrote on the X platform.
In her ruling, Snyder said the ban on face masks would be constitutional if extended to law enforcement officers.
New legislative plans
California Democratic Senator Scott Wiener, who helped draft the legislation, said Monday that he would amend the bill to include not only federal but also state law enforcement. “Now that the court has made it clear that nationals must be included (in the law), I will immediately introduce new legislation,” he said in a statement.
