Following California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of California Senate Bill 627, more commonly known as the No Secret Police Act. The law requires all law enforcement officers to uncover their faces when on duty.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will be required to uncover their faces when doing raids starting on Jan. 1, 2026.
The Department of Homeland Security account wrote on X that it would not abide by California SB627.
“[This is a] unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt,” the DHS stated on X.
The acting Attorney General of Los Angeles, Bill Essayli, also spoke out against the new bill, saying that all ICE operations will not obey the upcoming law.
“[The bill] has no effect on our operations,” Essayli stated on X. “Our agents will continue to protect their identities.”
Despite potential pushback from the federal government, according to a CBS News article, Newsom is adamantly against ICE officers covering their faces while conducting raids in California.
Newsom said in a statement, “As this authoritarian regime expands its reach into every aspect of daily life — including terrorizing people where they work, where they live, where they go to school, where they shop, where they seek health care — California will continue to stand for the rule of law.”