A federal judge in California blocked enforcement of a new state law on Monday that would have barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing face coverings, handing the Trump administration a court victory amid escalating clashes over immigration enforcement.
U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder ruled in a 30-page decision that California’s mask ban unlawfully discriminated against federal officers by exempting state police while restricting immigration agents and other federal law enforcement. The law, Senate Bill 627, had prohibited local and federal ICE officers from wearing masks except for undercover work or health reasons.
The law names city, county, and other local agencies, as well as federal law enforcement agencies, but notably does not include law enforcement officers employed by the state, creating a distinction that the judge found discriminatory against federal agents.
“The law treats federal law enforcement differently than similarly situated state law enforcement officers,” Snyder wrote, concluding that the exemption for state police rendered the statute unconstitutional.
Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the ruling in a statement on X, calling it “another key court victory” and saying federal agents are routinely “harassed, doxxed, obstructed, and attacked” while carrying out their duties.
ANOTHER key court victory thanks to our outstanding @TheJusticeDept attorneys.
Following our arguments, a district court in California BLOCKED the enforcement of a law that would have banned federal agents from wearing masks to protect their identities.
These federal agents are…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) February 9, 2026
Bondi said the Department of Justice would continue defending President Donald Trump’s “law-and-order agenda” and protecting federal officers in the field.
Snyder, however, allowed a separate California law to take effect. That measure, SB805, requires most law enforcement officers, including federal agents, to display visible identification such as a name or badge number, with exemptions for undercover operations.
Both laws had been scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 and carried possible criminal and civil penalties, but were paused during the legal challenge brought by the Trump administration. The DOJ argued California was violating long-standing constitutional limits under the Supremacy Clause that bars states from controlling federal operations.
NEWSOM SIGNS BILL BANNING ICE AGENTS FROM WEARING FACE COVERINGS
The ruling leaves open the possibility that lawmakers could reenact a revised mask ban without exempting state police. The bill’s author, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener, said he plans to introduce new legislation applying to all officers, though it remains unclear whether Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) would sign it.
The decision comes as protests and political pressure mount nationwide over ICE tactics, with Democrats in Congress and several states pushing to limit federal agents’ ability to conceal their identities during enforcement operations.
