California Legislature Passes Senator Wiener’s Bill to Make ICE Mask Ban Enforceable

Senator Wiener’s legislation will restore the No Secret Police Act’s ban on extreme face masking by ICE, CBP and other law enforcement

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Legislature passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) SB 1004, which makes it possible to enforce the No Secret Police Act, the state’s ban on extreme face masking from ICE, CBP, and other law enforcement. In a February ruling, the United States District Court for the Central District Court of California ruled that California has the power to ban federal agents from covering their faces if state law enforcement is included in the ban alongside local and federal officers. SB 1004 will put the mask ban in compliance with the judge’s order to end secret police masking in California. The bill heads next to the Governor, who must act on it by September 30.

“California must use every available tool to stand up for our communities under attack from ICE’s secret police terror campaign,” said Senator Wiener. “We have clear guidance from a federal judge for how to move forward with our face mask ban, and SB 1004 takes those important steps.”

The Senate voted 29-11 and the Assembly voted 41-18.

SB 1004 is sponsored by Prosecutors Alliance Action, Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ).

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