California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the “No Secret Police Act” and the “No Vigilantes Act” on Saturday in Los Angeles, aiming to curb the use of masks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The legislation, Senate Bill 627 and Senate Bill 805, targets federal and local law enforcement officers, requiring them to be identifiable during operations.
The signing ceremony, attended by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials, marked California as the first state to ban federal agents from wearing masks. Governor Newsom criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies, likening them to a “dystopian sci-fi movie” with masked agents detaining immigrants. According to the Los Angeles Times, Newsom stated, “We’re not North Korea,” emphasizing the need for transparency in law enforcement.
The new laws come amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement in California, a state with a large immigrant population. The Deadline reported that the legislation prohibits officers from covering their faces during operations, including immigration raids, and requires them to display identification. SB 805, effective immediately, bans bounty hunters from participating in immigration activities and mandates that officers in plainclothes display their agency affiliation and badge number…