LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice are expected to urge a federal judge today to block new legislation that prohibits federal immigration agents and other law enforcement officers from wearing masks and that requires them to identify themselves.
The laws, passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, came in the wake of the Trump administration’s immigration raids in California in the summer, during which masked, unidentified federal officers detained people as part of the president’s mass deportation program.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the laws were unconstitutional and endanger federal officers.
The DOJ sued the state of California, Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta in September, challenging what the federal government claims is an “unconstitutional” attempt to impede federal law enforcement by imposing the mask ban and identification requirement on officers.
The laws made California the first state in the nation to prohibit federal law enforcement, including agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, from hiding their identities, and requiring non-uniformed federal law enforcement to visibly display identification information, including agency, name, or badge number, during enforcement duties.
Arguments concerning the DOJ’s motion for a preliminary injunction which aims to pause the new laws, are scheduled for Wednesday before Senior U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder, a nominee of President Bill Clinton.
The laws took effect Jan. 1.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, alleges that the No Secret Police Act and the No Vigilantes Act threaten the safety of officers facing harassment, doxing and violence while carrying out enforcement duties. The DOJ also contends the laws violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, under which states have no power to control the operations of the federal
Government.
“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,” Bondi said in a statement. “California’s anti-law enforcement policies discriminate against the federal government and are
designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand.” The complaint states that the federal government does not intend to comply with the challenged laws.
“Assaults against federal agents have exploded over the last few months, thanks in part to (reckless) political rhetoric aiming to delegitimize our brave agents,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California said when the suit was filed.
“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.”