Overview: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the No Secret Police Act, prohibiting law enforcement officers from covering their faces with ski masks while performing their duties. The bill, which will take effect on January 1, 2026, includes exemptions for SWAT teams and other situations. The legislation is part of a package of bills aimed at establishing a standard of expectations to keep people safe against the Trump administration’s “immigration agenda.” The passage of these bills follows the Supreme Court’s recent ruling which lifted ICE restrictions in Los Angeles, allowing for the racial profiling of residents during immigration raids.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) No Secret Police Act, prohibiting local and federal law enforcement, including ICE agents, from covering their faces with ski masks while performing their duties. The bill also calls for law enforcement agencies to acquire a policy governing the use of facial coverings by July 1, 2026. Senate Bill 627 was first introduced by Wiener and Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) on June 16, and will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
The Trump administration has encouraged and enforced anti-immigrant and militant ICE practices such as the deployment of Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June. Against Newsom’s disapproval, Trump deployed the guard in response to protests sparked by immigration raids on June 6. Since then, the Trump administration has not let up on its extreme anti-immigrant policies.
On Sept. 23, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed that the administration has removed two million “illegal aliens,” or that they have self-deported since the beginning of the year. This report comes after Homeland Security, led by Secretary Kristi Noem, called for Newsom to veto the No Secret Police Act, stating that the bill puts officers and their families “at risk of being doxed and targeted by vicious criminals, including gang members, terrorists, cartel members, and murderers.”
“As this authoritarian regime seeks to demolish our constitutional rights and engages in a straight up terror campaign, California is meeting the Trump Administration’s secret police tactics with strength and defiance. I applaud Governor Newsom for the tremendous leadership he has shown in combatting President Trump’s assault on California. The No Secret Police Act is a bold step that builds on a remarkable record of leadership defending our immigrant communities and democracy itself,” stated Weiner via press release.
SB 627 describes law enforcement officers as “any peace officer at the local or federal level, any person acting on behalf of a federal law enforcement agency, or any out of state officer.” The finalized version of SB 627 lists nine exemptions for mask wearing including SWAT teams, motorcycle helmets and masks to protect against inclement weather. The bill is backed by a substantial coalition of immigrant rights, labor and civil rights organizations.
Along with SB 627, Newsom also signed several other bills as follows:
Assembly Bill 49 by Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), prohibits immigration enforcement officers from entering public school grounds without a valid judicial warrant or court order.
Senate Bill 81 by Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley)makes emergency rooms and other health facilities off limits to immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant or court order.
Senate Bill 98 by Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), titled The Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act, calls for K-12 schools and higher education institutions to issue alerts if immigration enforcement authorities are present on campus, and prohibits immigration enforcement from entering certain areas without a judicial warrant or court order.
Senate Bill 805 by Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), prohibits impersonating a law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers must identify themselves while conducting their duties.
This signed package of legislation was created to establish a standard of expectations to keep people safe from the Trump administration’s “immigration agenda.” The agenda being tactics that have “terrorized communities, traumatized students, disrupted businesses, and endangered public safety for American citizens,” according to Newsom’s press release.
The bills also follow the Supreme Court’s recent ruling which lifted ICE restrictions in Los Angeles. The Court’s ruling allows for the racial profiling of residents during immigration raids.
“It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie. Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing. No due process, no rights. No rights in a democracy where we have rights. Immigrants have rights, and we have the right to stand up and push back, and that’s what we’re doing here today,” Newsom stated.
“This is a disgrace. This is an outrage, what we have allowed to happen in this country. And I could not be more proud of this legislature, the legislative authors, to the community demanding more from all of us at this moment to push back. I’ll be signing a bill, the first in the nation, saying, enough. To ICE . . . unmask. What are you afraid of?” Newsom continued.