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California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed a new law that bans law enforcement officers, including federal ICE agents, from wearing face coverings during operations in California.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Shortly after Trump returned to office, he directed ICE and other federal agencies to begin a nationwide crackdown on those in the country illegally, leading to a surge in removal operations across states like California. As part of these efforts, ICE agents and other federal officers increasingly wore face coverings during raids to shield their identities. According to DHS, this practice became necessary due to a sharp rise in online doxxing campaigns, where some publicly posted personal information about federal agents, including home addresses and family details. DHS officials argue that this exposure has incited threats and real-world harassment, endangering both the officers and their loved ones. Because of this, federal law enforcement officers have been allowed to cover their faces during operations.

What’s going on now: Governor Gavin Newsom signed five bills aimed at restricting the reach and visibility of federal immigration enforcement in California, with the centerpiece being a ban on law enforcement officers wearing facial coverings during most official duties. The law applies to federal, state, and local officers, explicitly including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents , and makes it a misdemeanor to wear a face covering (such as a ski mask, balaclava, or gaiter) while conducting non-tactical operations. Officers must also be clearly identifiable by name or badge number, and any violation could lead to civil penalties for misconduct, including false arrest or false imprisonment while masked.

In a speech during the bill signing at a Los Angeles high school, Newsom condemned the use of facial coverings by ICE agents during raids, calling it a betrayal of democratic principles. “Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing. No due process, no rights—no rights in a democracy where we have rights, immigrants have rights,” he said. Directly challenging the federal government’s tactics, Newsom added, “To ICE: unmask. What are you afraid of? What are you afraid of? What are you afraid of?”

The law also includes provisions that bar ICE agents from entering schools or hospitals without a judicial warrant or court order. Schools must notify families when immigration enforcement intends to come on campus, and emergency rooms or other nonpublic hospital areas are explicitly off-limits unless a warrant is presented. Additionally, the legislation protects immigration status collected by health care providers, ensuring it is treated as “confidential medical information.”

DHS officials have pushed back against the legislation. In a statement, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the law is “another sanctuary stunt” that jeopardizes officer safety. “The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” she said.

McLaughlin also criticized Newsom’s tone, calling his rhetoric dangerous: “Comparing them to ‘secret police’ (likening them to the Gestapo) is despicable.” Meanwhile, Acting US Attorney Bill Essayli referred one of Newsom’s social media posts to the Secret Service for a threat assessment, after the governor wrote on X that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was “going to have a bad day.”