Judge blocks California mask ban for federal agents
- - Judge blocks California mask ban for federal agents
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAYFebruary 10, 2026 at 8:10 PM
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A federal judge has blocked California from enforcing a new law that would ban federal immigration agents and other law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings.
The Department of Justice sued to strike down the ban in November 2025 after it was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. In a ruling on Feb. 9, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder preliminarily struck down the law, and upheld another California law that requires federal officers to display their identification while performing their official duties.
The Trump administration hailed the ruling as a win, with Attorney General Pam Bondi calling it a "key court victory." The Justice Department argued in the lawsuit that immigration agents "face a real threat of criminal liability from state officials who have made clear their intent to target federal officers and disrupt federal law enforcement activities, including federal immigration enforcement."
"These federal agents are harassed, doxxed, obstructed, and attacked on a regular basis just for doing their jobs. We have no tolerance for it," Bondi said in her statement on Feb. 9.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also counted the ruling to uphold the identification law as "a clear win for the rule of law," and said "no badge and no name mean no accountability."
protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/75Pye_b2ALqj85cOa484KQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/3c76aabe582dbbed67880e4a96de38cf class=caas-img data-headline="‘ICE Out’ protests spark marches, confrontations across US" data-caption="
After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.
">After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/75Pye_b2ALqj85cOa484KQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/3c76aabe582dbbed67880e4a96de38cf class=caas-img>Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/P5LIg74OSjRl2O0uY.pt5w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03ODM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ebf2ffa816bf5365bf49209b72623e35 class=caas-img data-headline="‘ICE Out’ protests spark marches, confrontations across US" data-caption="
Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.
">Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/P5LIg74OSjRl2O0uY.pt5w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03ODM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ebf2ffa816bf5365bf49209b72623e35 class=caas-img>
1 / 16‘ICE Out’ protests spark marches, confrontations across US
After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.
More: Safety measure? Or intimidation tactic? Masked ICE agents spark the debate
In the ruling, Snyder said that the federal government would likely prove the mask ban to be unconstitutional because it treated state officers differently than federal officers; the law included local law enforcement officers and federal officers but not state officers.
The ruling comes as political tension is heightened over President Donald Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions in primarily Democrat-led states and cities. Weeks of protests have spread nationally after federal officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis, where the administration recently announced the departure of hundreds of immigration enforcement personnel. In videos and photos, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents are routinely seen wearing face coverings while conducting operations, making arrests and clashing with protesters.
Masked federal immigration agents are seen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 5, 2026.
Los Angeles has also been a target for enhanced immigration enforcement, which sparked protests that at times turned violent last summer.
More: White House negotiating with Democrats on DHS reform as deadline nears
Scott Wiener, the state senator who introduced the mask ban, said in a statement that he will introduce new legislation to include state officers, and said the ruling demonstrates that California has the right to block officers from covering their faces if state officers are included.
"Today’s federal court ruling is a huge win: The Court ruled that California has the power to protect our community by banning officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks and thus inflicting terror and shielding themselves from accountability," Wiener, a Democrat whose area of representation includes San Francisco, said.
"ICE and Border Patrol are covering their faces to maximize their terror campaign and to insulate themselves from accountability. We won’t let them get away with it," Wiener said.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judge blocks California mask ban for federal agents
Source: “AOL Breaking”
