The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday sued to challenge California laws prohibiting federal law enforcement agents from wearing masks and requiring them to clearly identify themselves.
The DOJ’s lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court names the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta challenges “their unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal law enforcement officers through the so-called ‘No Secret Police Act’ and ‘No Vigilantes Act.'”
In September, Newsom signed laws making California the first state in the nation to prohibit federal agents, including those conducting raids and roving patrols to enforce immigration laws, from concealing their identities and requiring officers not in uniform to visibly display information such as the agency, officer’s name and badge number during enforcement activity.
The laws go into effect Jan. 1, but federal authorities will not comply with them, according to the Justice Department’s court filing.
The lawsuit contends the California laws threaten officers’ safety as they face harassment, doxing and violence while conducting enforcement operations. DOJ attorneys also argue that the laws violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, under which states have no power to regulate the activity of federal agencies.
“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,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela 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 lawsuit cites Department of Homeland Security data showing an 8,000% increase in death threats against immigration agents and federal law enforcement officers.
“The threats to federal officers are serious and potentially deadly,” DOJ attorneys wrote in the lawsuit’s court filing, citing DHS data. “They range from taunting, online doxxing, and stalking, to ‘vehicles being used as weapons towards’ officers and even bounties being ‘placed on their heads for their murders.’”
The lawsuit chides Newsom for vowing to “’push back'” against the Trump administration immigration crackdown.
“His latest resistance — imposing a mask ban and identification requirement on federal agents operating in California — violates the United States Constitution, as even Governor Newsom apparently appreciated when he acknowledged in discussing the mask ban that ‘it appears we don’t have the legal authority for federal agents,” according to DOJ Civil Division lawyers.
During the bill signing, Newsom said, “ICE, unmask. What are you afraid of? You’re going to go out and do enforcement? Provide an ID. Tell us what agency you represent.”
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for the governor, said in response to the Justice Department’s lawsuit, “If the Trump administration cared half as much about public safety as it does about pardoning cop-beaters, violating people’s rights, and detaining U.S. citizens and their kids, our communities would be much safer. We’ll see the U.S. Department of Justice in court.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of California’s Central District said in a statement, “Assaults against federal agents have exploded over the last few months, thanks in part to recklessness (reckless) political rhetoric aiming to delegitimize our brave agents. 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.”
Bonta noted recent indications from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that unidentified immigration agents pose a problem for broader law enforcement.
“It’s problematic when Californians can’t tell the difference between a law enforcement officer who is charged with protecting them and a criminal who is attempting to cause them harm,” Bonta said in a statement. “The FBI itself has warned that the practice of ICE agents obscuring their identity has led to a rise in copycats committing crimes, threatening public safety and eroding trust in law enforcement.”
The Justice Department has also sued to challenge allegedly unconstitutional policies in New York and New Jersey.
The lawsuit’s complaint document is available on the DOJ website.
Updated Nov. 19, 2025, 9:32 a.m.
