In response to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration attacks that hit Southern California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed the A, which aimed to protect immigrants in schools, hospitals and other areas targeted by federal agents.
He also signed a bill banning federal agents from wearing masks, making California the first state to do so. Speaking at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in Los Angeles, Newsom said President Trump had changed the country into a “dystopian sci-fi film” with scenes of masked agents hugging immigrants in unmarked cars without legal status.
“We are not North Korea,” Newsom said.
Newsmom framed parts of the law as a pushback to what is called the “secret police” of White House advisers Trump and Stephen Miller, who pushed the surge in immigration enforcement of the second Trump administration in a Democratic-led city.
SB 98 is written by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Alhambra) and requires school administrators to notify families and students if the federal government is running an immigration business on a K-12 or university campus.
It was drafted by Congress member Al Muratuch (D. Rolling Hills Estate) and bans immigration agents from non-public areas of the school without a judicial warrant or court order. It also prohibits the district from providing information to immigration authorities about students, their families, teachers and school employees without a warrant.
Sen. Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) prohibits medical personnel from disclosing or accessing a patient’s immigration status or place of birth to immigration authorities without a search warrant or court order.
Senate Bill 627 Officer Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) are targeting masked federal immigration officials who began detaining immigrants in California with home warehouses and car washes earlier this year.
Wiener said the presence of anonymous masked officers marks their turn to authoritarianism and erodes trust between law enforcement and citizens. The law applies to local and federal officers, but exempts state police, such as California Highway Patrol officers, for reasons not publicly explained by Weiner.
Trump’s immigration leaders argue that masks are needed to protect the identity and safety of immigration officials. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security called on Newsom to reject Wiener’s law.
“The laws of Senator Scott Wiener that prohibit our federal law enforcement from wearing masks and his rhetoric comparing them to “secret police” — likening them to the Gestapo — are mean,” says DHS Deputy Commissioner Tricia McLaughlin.
The bill’s package has already sparked friction between state and federal officials. Hours before signing the invoice, Newsom’s Office wrote to X, “Kristi Noem will have a bad day today. You’re welcome, America.”
Bill Essayri, representing US lawyer in Los Angeles, fought back against X and accused the governor of threatening Noem.
“There is zero tolerance for direct or implicit threats to government officials,” the essay added that it requested a “full threat assessment” from the US Secret Service.
The U.S. Constitution’s dominance clause provides that federal law takes precedence over state law, leading some legal experts to question whether California can enforce laws targeting federal immigration authorities.
In X, the essay said California has no jurisdiction over the federal government, adding that it directs federal agencies not to change their business.
“If Newsom wants to regulate our agents, he has to pass Congress,” he wrote.
Representatives from the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately answer questions about how the mask law will be implemented. Officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said they will consult with the agency’s attorney to “evaluate” the new law.
California was unable to stop federal officials from arresting immigrants based on appearance, language and location. The appeals court suspended the attack that California officials argued was a clear example of racial profiling, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decision and allowed the detention to resume.
At a press conference on Saturday, Newsom pointed to an arrest made last month when immigration officers appeared at Little Tokio while the governor announced a campaign for the new Congressional District. Masked’s agents appeared to threaten those who attended the event, Newsom said, but they also arrested an undocumented man nearby.
“That’s Trump’s America,” Newsom said.
Other states are also considering similar steps to cover up federal agents. Connecticut banned law enforcement officials on Tuesday from wearing masks inside state court unless they are medically necessary, according to news reports.
Saturday’s newspaper also signed Senate Bill 805. This is a measure by Perez targeting immigration officials who are in Plain Cross but have not identified themselves.
The law requires plaincross law enforcement officers to display the agency and either have a badge number or name that includes some exemptions.
““They’re the first to come to terms with the bill they signed,” said Jason P. Hauser, a former DHS official who supported the bill Newsom signed.
