Federal agents block off North A Street as residents and community members gather during a federal enforcement operation on Wednesday in Oxnard. A top Trump administration lawyer pressed a federal judge Wednesday to block a newly enacted California law that bans most law enforcement officers in the state from wearing masks, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Together, The laws bar law enforcement officers from wearing masks and compel them to display identification “while conducting law enforcement operations in the Golden State.” Both offenses would be misdemeanors. They have also decried an exception in the law for California state peace officers, arguing the carve out is discriminatory. If allowed to take effect, California would become the first state in the nation to block ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 15, 2026 07:38 UTC