LAPD chief defies Newsom's mask ban for federal immigration agents citing safety concerns

The Los Angeles Police Department won't enforce a California directive banning national migration agents from wearing masks oregon hiding their faces portion conducting operations successful the state. 

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told Fox Los Angeles' "Good Day LA" that his section volition not enforce the directive from California Gov. Newsom.

From a tactical perspective, having officers mention national authorities for what amounts to a misdemeanor could beryllium unsafe, helium said.

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Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell and a masked ICE agent. On Friday, McDonnell said the LAPD won't enforce a statewide instrumentality that prohibits national agents from wearing masks portion conducting authoritative business.  (Getty Images)

"From a applicable standpoint, our relation erstwhile we get to a country is to de-escalate the situation, not to ramp it up," McDonnell said. "Trying to enforce a misdemeanor usurpation connected different instrumentality enforcement agency, that's not going to extremity well. And that's not going to beryllium good." 

"From a nationalist information standpoint for anybody successful that environment. Potentially you person a assemblage that could beryllium agitated and trying to get their constituent across," helium added. "And past you person the ICE agents who are doing their job. And for america to travel successful past and effort and make an enforcement enactment for wearing a mask, it's not a harmless mode to bash business."  

In September 2025, Newsom signed a measure into instrumentality banning instrumentality enforcement from wearing look coverings portion conducting authoritative concern crossed the state. 

The measure makes it a misdemeanor transgression for local, authorities oregon national instrumentality enforcement to deterioration masks oregon idiosyncratic disguises during their duties, unless an serviceman is undercover oregon performing a tactical cognition that requires protective gear.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks connected during a measure signing lawsuit related to redrawing the state’s legislature maps connected August 21, 2025 successful Sacramento, California.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

"What are you acrophobic of?" Newsom said arsenic helium signed the authorities into law. 

Critics of the Trump administration's crackdown connected amerciable migration person cited masked ICE agents arsenic a nationalist information risk, accusing them of trying to shield their identities from being leaked. 

Authorities said ICE agents person masked up to debar doxxing and threats to them and their families from the public.

The prohibition came aft a bid of migration raids successful and astir Los Angeles, wherever national agents were spotted wearing masks. At the time, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said national agents are already required to place themselves and deterioration covering that designates they are with ICE oregon Homeland Security markers during operations.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) serviceman with different officials.  (Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to Newsom's bureau and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. 

Bass criticized ICE's disguise argumentation pursuing raids successful Los Angeles past summer. 

"When the raids started, fearfulness spread," Bass said successful an interrogation past twelvemonth with ABC News. "The masked men successful unmarked cars, nary licence plate, nary existent uniforms, jumping retired of cars with rifles and snatching radical disconnected the street, starring a batch of radical to deliberation possibly kidnappings were taking place."