Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday praised a federal court ruling that allows California to require law enforcement officers, including federal agents, to visibly identify themselves during enforcement operations.
The ruling comes at a time where there has been an ongoing legal fight between California and the U.S. Department of Justice over how far states can go in regulating the conduct of federal law enforcement.
The judge allowed the identification requirement to take effect immediately but blocked enforcement of the law’s facial-covering ban as it applies to federal officers.
Newsom called the decision a victory for civil rights and public accountability, arguing that visible identification is essential to maintaining public trust during law enforcement actions.
“No badge and no name mean no accountability,” Newsom said in a statement, adding that California would continue to defend civil and democratic rights.
A federal court just upheld California’s law REQUIRING federal agents to identify themselves.
California will keep standing up for civil rights and our democracy.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) February 10, 2026
California became the first state to pass a law to limit the use of facial coverings and requiring visible identification for law enforcement officers, including federal agents.
The legislation followed public backlash in California over instances in which federal agents conducted operations while masked and without visible identification.
In November 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice challenged both provisions, arguing that the measures represented unconstitutional attempts by a state to regulate federal law enforcement.
Justice Department officials referred to the legislation as the “No Secret Police Act” and the “No Vigilantes Act” in court filings.
DOJ attorneys argued that requiring agents to display identifying details could expose them to harassment, doxxing, and threats.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the law could place federal agents and their families at risk and discourage officers from carrying out their duties. DOJ officials also warned the requirements could interfere with sensitive operations.
The judge ruled that California may lawfully require federal agents to display clear identification, including their agency name and badge number, during enforcement actions, finding that the requirement does not inherently interfere with federal authority.
However, the judge blocked the portion of the law that would have prohibited federal immigration agents from wearing facial coverings.
As a result, federal agents in California may continue to wear masks but must still visibly identify themselves unless the ruling is overturned on appeal.
State legislative records show the law requires law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, to wear visible identification while performing their duties. The original ban on facial coverings included limited exceptions but has been blocked as it applies to federal officers.
Governor Newsom signed the bill into law on September 20, 2025, the same day it was filed with the Secretary of State.
The law also requires agencies operating in California to publicly post policies limiting the use of facial coverings by July 1, 2026, and allows civil penalties in cases involving alleged misconduct, such as false arrest or false imprisonment, when officers are masked.
When Gav is President he will tear down ICE and make the MAGAt supporters cry.
It’s absolutely absurd that ICE agents are allowed to conceal their identity, among all the other violent and young-thug crap they pull on people. No *legitimate* law enforcement agency in the US is allowed to do what these cretins do with such anonymous unaccountability. These cowards act with impunity BECAUSe they are masked, and so would lots of other LEOs if they didn’t have any system of accountability. Being identifiable is the best assurance that they follow the law and community-determined guidelines for behavior, and if they don’t want to be doxxed they simply need to act like professionals and not violate the Constitution and numerous state laws.
Today’s ICE is nothing more than a modern day version of slave patrols, and they will arrest and detain anyone they want simply to reach an arbitrary and monetized daily quota. According to their own records less than 14% of the people they have detained have criminal records other than simply being here without documentation.