California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill over the weekend that prevents state and federal law enforcement from wearing masks or face coverings while on duty.
To be clear: We will NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 22, 2025
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… pic.twitter.com/8Me4OOP8t8
The Department of Homeland Security, in response, posted on X:
To be clear: We will NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban. 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.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California said on Fox & Friends that he doubts that the bill is enforceable, but he still believes Newsom may put on yet another show by suing the Trump administration for not following the law.
"I think what the governor might do is he might file a lawsuit," Essayli said. "He might run to a judge to try to get some sort of order, but we're very confident. The State of California does not and cannot have jurisdiction."
Newsom's law is a part of a string of laws created to establish Newsom as an anti-Trump governor and further increase his credibility as a viable Democratic candidate for the presidency in 2028. The Supreme Court recently allowed ICE to temporarily resume immigration enforcement at farms, car washes, and other locations where they suspect illegal immigrants may be present. However, the justices did not address the agents’ attire, which in some cases has included masks that conceal their identities.
"Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing, no due process, no rights," Newsom said, "I'll be signing a bill, the first in the nation, saying, ‘Enough, ICE, unmask, what are you afraid of?'"
Neama Rahmani, a California-based attorney and former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital that the courts will likely strike down Newsom's law using the separation of powers and the supremacy clause in the Constitution. The Supremacy Clause in particular says that federal laws trump state laws.
"You have the state imposing restrictions on the federal government, and those restrictions can really unduly interfere with their law enforcement functions, right?" Rahmani said. "The state is saying that unmasking these federal officials is necessary to restore public trust, but really it's a safety issue, right? They can be doxed. Their families can be put at risk, so I can easily see this specific regulation being struck down by the courts."
ICE agents have faced almost a 1000 percent increase in violence since the beginning of President Trump's second term.