Newsom signs bill prohibiting law enforcement officers from wearing face masks in state

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Saturday that prohibits local, state, and federal law enforcement officers from wearing face masks or other face coverings in the state unless they are undercover or involved in special operations that require protective gear. 

Violations of the law are considered a misdemeanor.

State Democrats and immigration rights activists had called for Newsom to sign the bill.

“By signing SB 627 into law, the Governor has delivered lifesaving protections for millions of Californians who live in constant fear of the violence and abuses under the Trump regime," said Hector Pereyra, Political Manager for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. 

Republicans have argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents should be allowed to wear face coverings so they are not targeted with attacks. 

Democrats have said ICE agents, in particular, should publicly identify themselves by wearing badges and not face coverings for transparency.