California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a controversial law over the weekend that bans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing masks while conducting arrests — but federal law enforcement officials say the move is legally meaningless and practically unenforceable.
Dubbed the “No Secret Police Act,” the law mandates that ICE agents must show their faces during public enforcement operations in California. Newsom touted it as a stand for “transparency and democracy,” but critics see it as a dangerous provocation in the middle of President Trump’s nationwide deportation push.
The measure comes as ICE agents, who are operating under what the administration calls the largest domestic deportation effort in U.S. history, are facing an unprecedented surge in physical assaults — up over 1,000% compared to early last year.
But according to multiple agency sources, Newsom’s law will have no bearing on actual ICE operations.
“Nice try by Newsom, but he knows it doesn’t apply to federal agents,” one ICE source told The Daily Wire. “He loves stirring the pot so that people find more ways to bring conflict to ICE.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed Monday on Fox & Friends that California “does not and cannot have jurisdiction” over federal officers, adding that the law is more of a political stunt than a legally binding directive.
‘A Flag of Target Practice’
ICE and Department of Homeland Security officials say the law only endangers their officers — particularly as far-left activists continue efforts to dox agents online, publicizing their names, faces, and personal information to harass them or their families.
“This is a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Sanctuary politicians’ rhetoric comparing ICE to ‘secret police’ — likening them to the Gestapo — is diabolical.”
McLaughlin blasted the state for enacting laws that could put agents directly in harm’s way, particularly amid a rising tide of organized attacks against federal personnel.
“While our federal law enforcement officers are being assaulted by rioters and having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them, a sanctuary politician is trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers,” she said.
Federal Agencies Push Back
Federal law enforcement leadership, including at ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have made clear they will not comply with the state-level mask ban — and have vowed to defend agents’ right to protect their identity in high-risk operational environments.
“The men and women at CBP, ICE, and all of our federal law enforcement agencies put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens,” McLaughlin continued. “Make no mistake, this type of rhetoric is contributing to the surge in assaults of officers through their repeated vilification and demonization.”
The controversy over masked agents intensified this summer after several viral clips showed ICE teams making high-profile arrests in California cities while wearing tactical gear and face coverings. Far-left activists responded by blocking highways, torching vehicles, and launching attacks on ICE field offices.
In response, President Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines to help secure federal assets in the Los Angeles area.
Newsom Stokes the Fire
At Saturday’s press conference, Newsom framed the law as a necessary safeguard for civil liberties.
“It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie,” he said. “Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing — no due process, no rights, in a democracy where we have rights. Immigrants have rights, and we have the right to stand up and push back.”
But for ICE and DHS officials, that rhetoric is part of the problem — not the solution.
With tensions between California and the federal government already high over sanctuary policies, the so-called “No Secret Police Act” is being interpreted not as a legal constraint, but as a political maneuver designed to rally Newsom’s progressive base while undermining federal immigration enforcement.
The post Gavin Newsom Can’t Stop ICE Agents From Wearing Masks, Sources Say appeared first on Real News Now.
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