SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A bill banning ICE agents and other law enforcement from wearing masks has been signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill, Senate Bill 627, was introduced by two Bay Area officials; State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and State Sen. Jesse Arreguin (D-Berkeley).
The bill, which has been dubbed “The No Secret Police Act,” makes it a “misdemeanor for a law enforcement officer to wear a mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties.” Under the terms of the bill, law enforcement officers are defined as “any officer of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency, or any person acting on behalf of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency.”
“Governor Newsom just signed into law my bill to ban ICE & other law enforcement from wearing ski masks & other extreme masks,” said Sen. Wiener in a post on Reddit. “The No Secret Police Act (SB 627) will help stop the masked secret police who are kidnapping people in our communities.”
“Show your damn faces,” he added.
Gov. Newsom signed the bill, which is the first of its kind in the nation, into law on Saturday.
“Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing. No due process. No rights,” said Newsom at a press conference in Los Angeles Saturday announcing the bill’s signing. “In a democracy we have rights. Immigrants have rights and we have the right to stand up and push back, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”
“I’ll be signing a bill — first in the nation — saying enough,” the governor continued. “To ICE — unmask. What are you afraid of?”
The legislation is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. However, it remains unclear if California has the authority to legally regulate federal agents, such as those that work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today,” Newsom’s press office later added in a tweet. “You’re welcome America.” Federal officials have since called for an investigation into the governor’s press office, claiming the tweet represented a threat.
SB 627 was one of five bills Newsom signed into law Saturday pushing back at President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
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