ICE won’t comply with California ban on agents wearing masks, DHS says

(The Hill) – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday it would not follow California’s new law banning its agents from covering their faces during enforcement operations.

“To be clear: We will NOT comply with [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban,” DHS said Monday in a post on the social platform X.

DHS suggested the masks provide protection for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who have seen a sharp rise in attacks in recent months.

“At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt,” DHS said in a statement.

Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential contender, signed a first-of-its-kind bill on Saturday banning ICE agents from wearing masks while operating in the state.

He said ICE agents would no longer be “hidden from accountability” arguing masks prevent “transparency” for citizens and hinder “oversight.” 

“That’s Trump’s America, but that’s not the America we’ve grown up in. And so we are pushing back,” the governor said during remarks at a local high school. 

The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has hit California especially hard, where 27 percent of the residents are foreign-born. DHS has said 5,000 immigrants living in the U.S. illegally were arrested in Los Angeles from June to August.

Newsom’s office did not respond to an immediate request for comment.