9th Circuit Overrides California Law Forcing ICE Agents to Remove Masks

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals just issued an injunction blocking enforcement of California’s laws targeting federal ICE agents, requiring them to “unmask” and display visible name and badge number.

A three judge panel in the 9th Circuit agreed with the Trump administration that the California law violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal officers’ duties, the NY Post reported. It had previously granted a temporary administrative injunction to block the implementation of the law.

The law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2025 and effective January 1, 2026, criminalized federal agents — particularly ICE officers conducting deportation operations — for wearing masks or facial coverings while on duty, the Globe reported in February. A companion “No Vigilantes Act” (SB 805) imposed identification requirements designed to facilitate doxxing and retaliation against federal personnel and their families.

In November the Trump DOJ promptly sued Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and the state, arguing the measures were unconstitutional attempts to discriminate against and obstruct federal operations in violation of the Supremacy Clause, we reported. 

ICE agents wear masks primarily for their safety, as they face threats and harassment from the public, including doxing and death threats against their families, the Globe first reported in 2025 when California State Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguin (D-Berkeley) introduced SB 627, the “No Secret Police Act” to prohibit law enforcement at all levels from covering their faces while conducting operations in the state of California.

Yes, California Democrats pushed for ICE agents and members of law enforcement to unmask themselves after mandating masks on everyone’s faces in California, including babies and children, during the coronavirus flu outbreak, while locking 40 million people down for three years.

In February, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder (a Clinton appointee) had already issued a preliminary injunction against the discriminatory mask ban, noting it unfairly singled out federal agents while carving out exemptions for California Highway Patrol and state officers. A federal judge partially blocked the law affecting federal law enforcement, the Globe reported.

The judge upheld the mask requirement of the law, but ruled in favor of the provision that requires law enforcement officers — federal and state — to wear badges or other identification on their uniforms, the NY Post said.

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted his approval on X:

Huge legal victory this morning in the Ninth Circuit, where the court permanently enjoined California’s unconstitutional mask law targeting federal agents. “We conclude that § 10 of the No Vigilantes Act attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions. The Supremacy Clause forbids the State from enforcing such legislation. The United States is therefore likely to succeed on the merits of its Supremacy Clause claim, and the other preliminary injunction factors also weigh in its favor. Thus, we grant the motion for an injunction pending appeal.”

Huge legal victory this morning in the Ninth Circuit, where the court permanently enjoined California’s unconstitutional mask law targeting federal agents.

“We conclude that § 10 of the No Vigilantes Act attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of… pic.twitter.com/fZNjG9QepO

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 22, 2026

“As the Trump Administration expands the use of secret police tactics, SB 627 boosts transparency and supports public safety by bolstering public trust in law enforcement,” Sen. Wiener and Arreguin said in a press statement last year.

California is enjoined (ordered) from enforcing the law, pending appeal.

This is a big win for the Trump administration, the Department of Justice, and for ICE agents and federal immigration officers.