California lawmakers announced a proposed Senate Bill 627 (“the No Secret Police Act”) that would mandate transparency and accountability in law enforcement by prohibiting local, state, and federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces during statewide operations.
This development is due to various law enforcement officers wearing masks during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
“This is a very important and timely proposal to deal with the fact that we are seeing more and more law enforcement officers, particularly at the federal level … covering their faces entirely, not identifying themselves at all, at times even wearing army fatigues, where you can’t tell are these law enforcement officers or a vigilante militia,” stated State Sen.
Scott Wiener, (D) San Francisco, during a June 16 press conference, summarized by the Associated Press, which noted the bill is expected to be debated in the coming weeks.
ICE officers began conducting raids at multiple locations in Los Angeles and surrounding cities on June 6. Social and news media captured images of ICE agents chasing people through a Home Depot parking lot near downtown L.A.
The bill was also announced by Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley), requiring all officers to display identifying information on their uniforms.
Families, activists and even political leaders noted and complained during the recent raids of masked men chasing men, women and children with only the words POLICE or ICE on their attire. On social media, several people posted warnings, alleging that some men, pretending to be ICE agents, were attempting to abduct women.
SB 627 defines law enforcement officers as any officer of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency, or any person acting on behalf of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency. A violation of the bill’s prohibition is punishable as a misdemeanor.
The bill also aims to boost transparency and support public safety by bolstering public trust in law enforcement, as the Trump Administration expands the use of secret police tactics, as indicated in a June 16 press release by Sen. Wiener.
As reported by The Final Call’s Staff Writer Anisah Muhammad in “New executive order seeks to ‘unleash’ law enforcement,” President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order on April 28, titled “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens.”
(See The Final Call, Vol. 44 No. 32) The order aims to “establish best practices at the State and local level for cities to unleash high-impact local police forces; protect and defend law enforcement officers wrongly accused and abused by State or local officials; and surge resources to officers in need.”
“Our first responders are responsible for vital work in protecting our communities, and trust and accountability are key aspects in keeping our neighborhoods safe,” Sen. Arreguín said. “This bill will ensure that law enforcement are easily identifiable, maintaining that trust and accountability.”
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a June 20 post on the social media site X that ICE agents have experienced “a 500% increase in assaults,” reported USA Today.
“She didn’t provide the total number of assaults or a time frame for the increase. But videos circulating online have showed increasingly violent confrontations between masked federal agents and civilians seeking to document or prevent arrests,” the outlet continued.
According to Sen. Wiener, in recent months, federal law enforcement officers have conducted raids in California and across the country while covering their faces and, at times, badges, names, and other identifying information.
They sometimes wear jackets stating “Police”—effectively impersonating local law enforcement. Such raids have occurred in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Concord, Downey, Montebello, and many other places since the new federal administration began ramping up its immigration enforcement efforts.
He said that in some operations in other states, federal law enforcement has appeared masked to grab residents off the street and whisk them away to detention centers across state lines without contacting their family or loved ones. University students, workers, and others have been grabbed off the street, sent to detention centers, and even sent to a facility in El Salvador.
Opponents warn it could spark a constitutional fight over federal authority, according to an ABC 10 report.
Attorney Mark Reichel, a Sacramento-based legal expert with experience litigating federal cases, told ABC’s Gurajpal Sangha that while ICE officers are required to identify themselves and cite legal authority during a detention, there is no explicit federal rule that allows them to cover their faces. That legal ambiguity could leave the door open for California’s legislation to stand, at least for now.
“In light of the fact their own rules require them to identify themselves anyway, there is a good chance this law actually may be upheld in California only for ICE agents who operate in California,” said Atty. Reichel, according to the news report.
The attorney also warned of potential federal backlash if the bill becomes law, adding that the federal government could respond with a new regulation that explicitly allows mask usage. That would likely override California’s law.