'No Secret Police': Lawmakers propose prohibiting masked agents

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Updated June 20, 2025, 12:39 p.m. ET


Two California lawmakers are pushing legislation that would prevent law enforcement from covering their faces when making arrests in the state. The "No Secret Police Act," introduced by two Democrats in the California Senate, is a reaction to immigration sweeps across the country by masked agents in plainclothes, who are increasingly refusing to identify themselves by name or the agency they work for.

“The recent federal operations in California have created an environment of profound terror," Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said in a statement. "If we want the public to trust law enforcement, we cannot allow them to behave like secret police in an authoritarian state."

A now-widespread protest movement against the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement was ignited in Los Angeles in early June, when street protests turned violent. California lawmakers have been among President Donald Trump's most vocal opponents.

The bill, co-sponsored by Jesse Arreguin, D-Berkeley, would also require officers be identifiable by their uniform. It would exempt SWAT teams and permit the use of medical-grade masks and those used to protect workers during emergencies like wildfires. “This bill will ensure that law enforcement are easily identifiable, maintaining that trust and accountability," Arreguin said in a statement.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/06/20/lawmakers-propose-banning-ice-from-wearing-masks/84283979007/

[LauraInLA]

1. I believe this only applies to local/state officers.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. From the article

(snip)

Local police officers typically wear uniforms with a nameplate and carry a badge. U.S. Border Patrol agents wear an olive green uniform with a name tag and agency patches. FBI agents also typically show a badge when engaging with subjects or civilians.

ICE agents, however, are rarely uniformed.

Mask-wearing could violate federal policy

Separately, the New York City Bar issued a statement June 20 expressing "alarm" over the new mask-wearing practice by ICE agents. The professional attorneys association said the practice appears to violate federal regulations governing how immigration agents should conduct themselves during enforcement actions.

Title 8 of the U.S. Code states that at "the time of the arrest, the designated immigration officer shall, as soon as it is practical and safe to do so... identify himself or herself as an immigration officer who is authorized to make the arrest."

(snip)

[LauraInLA]

7. I know the Feds aren't following the U.S. law (though I'm sure they'd argue the "practical and safe" language).

The point I made, based on my reading, is that the CA state law can’t mandate Feds’ behavior.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. The current "feds" aren't following their own laws

So we are in a different world unless/until the courts get it straightened out. But federal employees also have to follow "state law" in general.

E.g., say, a state changes their vehicle codes and now forbids "making a right turn when a light is red" and a fed ignores that while in a GOV (Government Owned Vehicle) during work hours... The fed is not suddenly "immune" from breaking that state law.

A bunch of former feds, like Mark Meadows, were indicted for violating STATE LAWS (in both AZ & GA).

[FakeNoose]

2. It looks like this is State of California only

... but it's a good start.

[Iggo]

5. That's how it often starts.

[Martin68]

4. This should be the law. No Secret Police!

[NBachers]

6. No reign of terror against our people. And hands off the Dodgers!

This from a San Franciscan 49’ers fan