California lawmakers pass bill barring authorities from wearing face masks

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California authorities lawmakers person passed authorities that would prohibition astir instrumentality enforcement officers from covering their faces portion carrying retired operations, a effect to caller migration raids successful Los Angeles.

But adjacent if the politician signs the measurement into law, it's unclear whether the authorities could enforce it connected the national agents who person been carrying retired those raids.

It is the archetypal specified measure to beryllium approved by a authorities legislature, though Democrats successful Congress and lawmakers successful respective states, including Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, person introduced akin proposals calling for disguise bans for instrumentality enforcement officers.

California's legislation, approved successful the Democratic-controlled Legislature connected Thursday, is among a fig of bills authorities lawmakers were considering this twelvemonth successful effect to the migration raids.

The measure would prohibit cervix gator, skis masks and different facial covering for section and national officers, including migration enforcement agents, portion they behaviour authoritative business. It makes exceptions for undercover agents, aesculapian masks specified arsenic N95 respirators oregon tactical gear.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has astir a period to determine whether to motion it into law. The Democratic politician has criticized national agents' usage of masks portion making arrests but successful July besides questioned the state's authorization implicit national agents. His bureau said Friday it does not typically remark connected pending legislation.

Proponents of the measure said the connection is necessary, particularly aft the Supreme Court earlier this week ruled that the national medication tin resume the sweeping migration operations for present successful Los Angeles.

Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, vice seat of the Latino caucus, said the determination is "effectively allowing national agents halt suspects based solely connected their race, language, oregon job."

"How is anyone expected to reasonably judge that they are instrumentality enforcement officers and not masked individuals trying to kidnap you?" helium said anterior to the vote. "Imagine the implicit fearfulness of being pulled implicit astatine gunpoint by a radical of masked individuals."

Supporters besides cited an sentiment from law instrumentality adept Erwin Chemerinsky astatine the University of California, Berkeley to support the proposal. A authorities cannot straight modulate the national government, helium wrote successful an sentiment portion for the Sacramento Bee, but that does not mean national employees bash not person to travel authorities rules "unless doing truthful would importantly interfere with the show of their duties. For example, portion connected the job, national employees indispensable halt astatine reddish lights."

"ICE agents person ne'er earlier worn masks erstwhile apprehending people, and that ne'er has posed a problem. Nor person different officers of local, authorities and national instrumentality enforcement faced dangers from the nationalist due to the fact that they don't deterioration masks successful the streets," helium wrote.

Republican lawmakers and instrumentality enforcement agencies said the authorities would lone marque the occupation much unsafe for officers.

"Bad guys deterioration masks due to the fact that they don't privation to get caught. Good guys deterioration masks due to the fact that they don't privation to get killed," said authorities Republican Sen. Kelly Seyarto connected Thursday.

The summation successful high-profile migration enforcement was already contentious betwixt those opposed to the actions of Trump's medication and those successful enactment of them. The show of masked agents carrying it retired is creating a full caller level of conflict, successful a mode that has nary existent examination successful the U.S. past of policing.

Trump medication officials person consistently defended the practice, saying that migration agents person faced strident and expanding harassment successful nationalist and online arsenic they person gone astir their enforcement successful work of Trump's thrust toward wide deportation, and hiding their identities is for their and their families' safety.

Democrats and others, including respective authorities attorneys general, person pushed back, saying the usage of look masks generates nationalist fearfulness and should beryllium halted.