First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announced Monday that DHS has filed a lawsuit against California's “unconstitutional law” attempting to force Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to unmask.
In a post on X on Monday, Essayli wrote that the Department of Homeland Security “has filed a lawsuit to overturn an unconstitutional California law designed to expose the identities of our federal agents, allowing criminals to defraud them.”
Today we filed a lawsuit to overturn an unconstitutional California law designed to expose the identities of our federal agents, allowing criminals to defraud them.
Attacks on federal agents have increased over the past few months, thanks in part to the recklessness of political… pic.twitter.com/R0zUL6PsVg
— USFA Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) November 17, 2025
READ MORE: Justice Department Slams Democrats Over Crazy Legislation to Change ICE Raids
“Attacks against federal agents have increased over the past few months, thanks in part to [reckless] political rhetoric aimed at delegitimizing our brave agents,” he added.
“Unconstitutional laws like this further endanger our brave men and women who protect our community,” Essayli continued. “Our immigration enforcement will continue as usual, unimpeded by unconstitutional state laws passed by irresponsible politicians.”
How RedState As previously reported, California Democrats debuted the Anti-Secret Police Act (SB 627) in June. The law was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Gavin “Hair Gel” Newsom. September and will come into force on January 1, 2026.
It says the following:
Existing law makes it an offense to wear a mask, false sideburns, or any personal disguise, as specified, for the purpose of evading or evading detection, recognition, or identification in the commission of a public offense or for the purpose of concealing, escaping, evading, or escaping arrest or conviction for any public offense.
This bill would make it a crime for a law enforcement officer to wear a face covering while on duty, except as specifically provided. The bill would define a law enforcement officer as any person designated by California law as a peace officer employed by a city, county, or other local agency, as well as any officer or agent of a Federal law enforcement agency or a law enforcement agency of another State, or any person acting on behalf of a Federal law enforcement agency or an agency of another State. Under the bill, violation of these provisions would be punishable as a misdemeanor or misdemeanor, as specified. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
SEE: Watch: Gavin Newsom went on a wild anti-ICE, anti-Trump rant about Colbert on Tuesday
Wiener argued that there had been a kind of “rise” of the secret police, whose behavior needed to be controlled.
We are announcing new legislation – the Anti-Secret Police Act (SB 627) – which prohibits local/state/federal law enforcement agencies, with limited exceptions, from covering their faces when interacting with the public and requires them to wear identifying information.
The behavior of the secret police trusts tanks and must end🧵
— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) June 16, 2025
“We are announcing new legislation—the Secret Police Act (SB 627)—that prohibits local/state/federal law enforcement, with limited exceptions, from covering their faces when interacting with the public and requires them to wear identifying information,” Weiner said in a statement. “Tanks are trusted by the secret police and must end.”
“We are seeing an increase in secret police activity – masked, without identifying information, even in army uniform – grabbing and disappearing people,” he added, with even crazier claims. “This is contrary to democracy and harms society. The Anti-Secret Police Act could help end the fear and chaos this behavior creates in communities.”
Shortly after the law was passed, the Justice Department opposed it and made it clear that states could not regulate federal law enforcement.
As RedState noted at the time, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the civil rights division posted on social media telling Weiner to go and get legal help, where she said he would find that the proposal was against the law.
Scott, talk to your lawyer to see if this is true and come back to us. (Hint: It's not: states can't regulate what federal law enforcement officers wear). https://t.co/QDr0wTBiKC
— Mother K. Dillon (@Harmetkdhillon) June 16, 2025
Given the rise in threats and attacks against ICE agents, this lawsuit seems necessary to protect lives.
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