The Trump administration has defended law enforcement officers' use of masks, saying immigration agents especially face strident and increasing harassment in public and online as they do their jobs; obscuring their identities is necessary for the safety of agents and their families.
But on Saturday, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill banning them from covering their faces while conducting official business – a direct response to recent immigration raids in Los Angeles, where federal agents wore masks while making mass arrests.
It makes exceptions for undercover agents, medical masks, and tactical gear, and it does not apply to state police.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), says this is "just to show how much they hate Donald Trump."
"It's just a show," he submits. "California's not going to try to push this and try to actually arrest ICE agents. They can try, but that's kind of Fort Sumpter territory, and I don't see that happening."
Still, he calls the measure "really dangerous" because it pushes the envelope on the issue of federal supremacy.
"In a healthy system, this wouldn't even be coming up," Krikorian states.
Newsom, who prides himself on the "diversity" of his state where 27% of residents are foreign born, also signed legislation Saturday preventing immigration agents from entering schools and healthcare facilities without a valid warrant or judicial order and requiring schools to notify parents and teachers when immigration agents are on campus.
The governor likens President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration to "a dystopian sci-fi movie," claiming people are "quite literally disappearing."
Krikorian suggests Newsom might believe this could help him with the presidency.
"He's an extraordinarily good liar, but it's, I think, what he's counting on – that he can just lie effectively enough that enough people will think that he's plausible as a president," he tells AFN. "I wouldn't rule it out. I don't think it's very likely that he could succeed, but stranger things have happened."
While the Department of Homeland Security has criticized California's new law, other Democratic-led states are considering similar measures.
Krikorian thinks there should be a slew of lawsuits.
