Overview

• Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the law covers local and federal officers, explicitly including immigration agents, with exceptions for undercover work, medical masks and tactical gear.
• The measure follows mass arrest operations in Los Angeles where agents wore face coverings, which sparked sustained protests and intensified political backlash.
• The Department of Homeland Security condemned the law, said it sent detainer-enforcement letters to attorneys general in California, Illinois and New York, and warned it would take all appropriate measures if states do not comply.
• Companion legislation restricts immigration agents’ access to K–12 schools and health-care facilities without a valid warrant or court order and requires schools to notify parents and teachers when agents are on campus.
• Uncertainty remains over how California could apply the ban to federal personnel, with legal scholars forecasting court challenges as DHS defends masking as necessary for officer safety and to prevent doxxing.