Overview

• Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring enforcement personnel to be clearly identifiable and largely prohibiting face coverings such as ski masks and scarves during operations.
• The rules apply to ICE and other federal and state officers conducting enforcement actions in California.
• The package restores special safeguards for migrants in hospitals and schools, reversing access that had been opened under Trump policies.
• US media report the measures are slated to take effect around the turn of the year, with practical enforcement details still to be clarified.
• The White House has defended agents’ use of masks as protection against threats, as videos of unmarked, masked arrests and recent deployments in Los Angeles fueled public outcry.