California Gov Newsom signs bills to stop ICE agents from wearing masks

California has become the first state to ban federal immigration agents from concealing their identities with masks, after Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills over the weekend.

The new laws will make it so law enforcement and immigration officers to remain identifiable by either name or badge number, with masks only allowed “when absolutely necessary.” They also restrict immigration enforcement inside classrooms and hospitals. Families will also now have to be notified if immigration officials plan to visit a school. Emergency rooms and other nonpublic areas in hospitals are considered off-limits without a warrant or court order.

Newsom’s office said the measures were aimed at limiting the reach of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California. “ICE agents have wrongfully arrested citizens, concealed their identities, and undermined transparency,” the governor’s statement said. It also criticized ICE for “fueling student absences and eroding community trust” by disregarding long-standing rules meant to keep enforcement away from schools, hospitals, and churches.

The governor added, “Our places of learning and healing must never be turned into the hunting grounds this federal administration has tried to make them out to be. I have sat with mothers who are afraid to send their children to school, and with farmworker families who live every day with the fear of being torn apart. No family should ever have to carry that weight. California is choosing true public safety.”

Though the state made clear what the new laws require, officials have not yet explain how they plan to enforce the rules against a federal agency.

The signing came hours after Newsom posted on X suggesting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was about to have “a bad day.” That comment drew attention from federal authorities, with Acting US Attorney Bill Essayli saying he had referred the post to the Secret Service for review.