NJ, WA Pass Laws Prohibiting Law Enforcement From Wearing Masks

New Jersey and Washington state have passed laws prohibiting law enforcement agents from wearing masks.

The Details: On Wednesday, Governor Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) signed three immigration laws that restrict when New Jersey residents can cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. One of the laws, S3114, bans both local and federal enforcement officials from wearing masks when they interact with the public. On Thursday, Gov. Bob Ferguson (D-WA) also signed a law prohibiting law enforcement officials from wearing masks. Republican lawmakers have argued that the masks help protect officers from threats, harassment, or online targeting.

Key Quotes: In response to the New Jersey law, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, "Sanctuary politicians attempting to ban our federal law enforcement from wearing masks is despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers. To be crystal clear: we will not abide by this unconstitutional ban."

For Context: In 2025, California became the first state to ban federal and local law enforcement officials from wearing masks. A federal judge later struck down that law but noted that a ban that also covered state police officers could be constitutionally permissible. This ruling encouraged other states to enact similar, broad legislation, and a number of states are considering doing so.

How the Media Covered it: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) noted that President Trump has said that ICE agents now deployed at airports should not wear masks. The Washington Times (Lean Right bias) noted that the Trump administration sued New Jersey last month over Sherrill's executive order that prohibits ICE agents from using state property as a staging area, processing site, or operations base.

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