Interesting: instead of simply saying “California has no authority over federal agents, they’ll continue protecting their identity and Gavin Newsom can pound sand”, we get a lawsuit
Trump admin sues to block California’s ICE mask ban
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the state of California on Monday, alleging its law banning federal immigration officers from wearing face masks is unconstitutional.
The lawsuit, filed in the Central District of California against California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), says that the state does not have the authority to regulate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Newsom signed the No Secret Police Act and No Vigilantes Act into law in September. The pair of measures, which take effect on Jan. 1, ban federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks while carrying out operations in the state and require non-uniformed officers to visibly display identification while performing their duties, respectively.
Before signing the acts into law, Newsom said that federal immigration officers would no longer be “hidden from accountability” while conducting operations in the Golden State.
There would be no reason for federal law enforcement to wear masks if the Democratic base wasn’t unhinged and would harass the agents and their families.
The suit also alleges that the California laws violate Article 5, Section 301 of the U.S. Code, which states that agency heads “may prescribe regulations for the government of his department [and] the conduct of its employees.”
In a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release on Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the California laws “discriminate against the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents.”
I wonder if the Trump admin wants to take some shots at Newsom and Democrats for allowing everyone but federal law enforcement to wear masks. We see Antifa and others protesting and even getting violent wearing masks, but, no ban from California.
After Newsom signed the acts into law, the Trump administration instructed ICE officers to ignore their requirements. The Department of Homeland Security, citing an increase in threats towards ICE officers, said on the social platform X on Sept. 22, it will “NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban.”
So, why the suit? To embarrass Gavin and Democrats.
