Federal officials say the rules also compromise sensitive operations and “chills the enforcement of federal law.”
CALIFORNIA, USA — The Justice Department is suing California, challenging the state’s mask ban and identification requirements for federal officers.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, targets the “No Secret Police Act” and “No Vigilantes Act,” arguing the rules illegally limit how federal agents identify and protect their identities. According to the DOJ, federal officers have faced a “wave of harassment, doxxing and even violence.”
“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “California’s anti-law enforcement policies discriminate against the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand.”
Federal officials say the rules also compromise sensitive operations and “chills the enforcement of federal law.”
“Assaults against federal agents have exploded over the last few months, thanks in part to recklessness political rhetoric aiming to delegitimize our brave agents,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “Unconstitutional laws such as this one further endanger our brave men and women protecting our community. Our immigration enforcement will continue unabated and unhindered by unconstitutional state laws enacted by irresponsible politicians.”
The case is the latest federal pushback against state policies seen as hindering federal enforcement.
State Senator Scott Wiener, who authored the mask ban bill, provided the following comment in response to the lawsuit.
“The Trump Administration is once again proving that they care more about their own unchecked power to kidnap and intimidate than they do about lowering the cost of living, following the Constitution, or releasing the Epstein files. Trump’s own FBI recently warned that ICE’s secret police tactics are undermining public safety and advised ICE to take the masks off and act like servants of the public instead of masked thugs preparing to rob a liquor store. Despite what these would-be authoritarians claim, no one is above the law. We’ll see you in court.”
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, provided the following statement to ABC10.
“If the Trump administration cared half as much about public safety as it does about pardoning cop-beaters, violating people’s rights, and detaining U.S. citizens and their kids, our communities would be much safer. We’ll see the U.S. Department of Justice in court.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta provided the following comment in response to the lawsuit.
“It’s problematic when Californians can’t tell the difference between a law enforcement officer who is charged with protecting them and a criminal who is attempting to cause them harm. The FBI itself has warned that the practice of ICE agents obscuring their identity has led to a rise in copycats committing crimes, threatening public safety and eroding trust in law enforcement.
My office is responsible for defending the laws of California, and we will do so here.”