DOJ Sues California Over Mask Ban, ID Rules For Feds

The US Department of Justice has sued the state of California and its leading officials over two new state laws that make it a misdemeanor for local and federal law enforcement officers to wear face coverings on the job, which they use to prevent them from being doxxed by activists. 

The complaint, filed on Monday, argues that the “No Secret Police Act” and “No Vigilantes Act” discriminate against the federal government – and pose considerable safety risks to agents, who are being rammed with cars, doxxed, and generally targeted.

“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “California’s anti-law enforcement policies discriminate against the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand.” 

The legislation was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 20, and takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. Newsom said during the signing that the state was “pushing back against the authoritarian tendencies in action this administration.”

“The impact of these policies all across this city, our state, and nation are terrifying,” Newsom said. “It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie. Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing. No due process, no rights in a democracy where we have rights.”

So what happened to J6 protesters? 

As the Epoch Times notes further, federal agents have been wearing masks to protect their identities and prevent them and their families from being doxxed by activists. Doxxing a federal agent, by posting their personal information on social media or other channels, is a felony.

A federal grand jury on Sept. 26 indicted three women for following an ICE agent home, livestreaming their pursuit, and then posting the agent’s home address on Instagram.

Earlier in September, Newsom downplayed concerns about doxxing, saying that such claims are unfounded and unproven, and that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hasn’t provided the data to substantiate the alleged increase in violence against federal agents.

“All they have provided is misinformation and misdirection,” Newsom said.

In July, a DHS memo said assaults on federal agents were up 830 percent from last year. Two months later, DHS reported a 1,000 percent increase in assaults. Agents have been ambushed, shot at, and attacked with rocks, glass bottles, and other objects.

The federal lawsuit filed Monday argues that California’s statutes overstep principles of federal supremacy by seeking to regulate how federal officers conduct their duties. In the complaint, the Justice Department alleges not only that the statutes are discriminatory, but also that they could lead to prosecutions against officers for taking action to maintain their privacy and the privacy of their families.

The Justice Department says the statutes undermine the enforcement of federal laws, including in immigration matters. The laws, according to the Justice Department, have the potential to compromise ongoing investigations and law enforcement efforts in general.

“Assaults against federal agents have exploded over the last few months, thanks in part to … political rhetoric aiming to delegitimize our brave agents,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California said. “Unconstitutional laws such as this one further endanger our brave men and women protecting our community. Our immigration enforcement will continue unabated and unhindered by unconstitutional state laws enacted by irresponsible politicians.”

The current suit follows prior actions against obstructive measures in jurisdictions including New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles.

In February, Bondi announced that the Justice Department would sue New York officials and said the state prioritized illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens.

“If you don’t comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable,” she said.

The DOJ also filed a lawsuit against four Democrat-led cities in New Jersey over their sanctuary policies.

“They have all adopted policies for the clear object of making it harder for the United States to enforce federal immigration law,” the complaint alleges. “These efforts to shield illegal aliens within the Garden State are unlawful.”

In a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, Bondi invoked the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which renders federal laws and treaties as the law of the land.

The Trump administration sued Los Angeles in June, arguing that the city’s sanctuary policies prevented immigration officers from carrying out federal law.

“Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” Bondi wrote in a statement posted on X. “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level—it ends under President [Donald] Trump.”

Joseph Lord and Brad Jones contributed to this report.