N.Y. Law Barring ICE Agents From Wearing Masks Is Blocked by Judge

Key Points:

• A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking New York’s law that prohibited federal immigration agents from wearing masks and required them to display identification, siding with the Department of Justice.
• The Justice Department argued the state law unlawfully regulated federal officers, violating the Supremacy Clause, and the judge agreed that federal authorities, not states, set policies for enforcing federal immigration laws.
• Although the judge acknowledged the state’s concerns about safety risks from masked agents without visible ID, she ruled that federal policies take precedence and allowed the mask and ID ban to be halted.
• The ruling came shortly before New York’s broader ban on local law enforcement collaborating with immigration agents takes effect on August 25, a measure the court allowed to proceed.
• This decision marks a legal win for the Trump administration, which has emphasized the need for ICE agents to wear masks to protect against harassment, following a similar successful challenge to a California law.