California is banning masks for federal agents. Here’s why it could lose in court.

By: Nigel Duara, CalMatters

Outlets: Stateline

Published: January 1, 2026

Words: 759

Last Updated: 2 weeks ago

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This story was originally published by CalMatters.

A series of immigration raids across California in 2025 had one thing in common: Most of the federal agents detaining people wore masks over their faces.

This month, the state of California and its largest county will ban law enforcement officers from covering their faces, with a few exceptions, putting local and state police at odds with masked immigration agents.

The …

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