Judge blocks law banning ICE agents’ masks in New York

Administration Judge blocks law banning ICE agents’ masks in New York Comments: by Finya Swai - 08/04/26 11:33 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 08/04/26 11:33 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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A federal judge on Monday blocked New York from enforcing a law banning federal immigration officers from wearing face masks and requiring them to display identification.

U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino of the Northern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction against the state’s mask and identification requirements, finding the Justice Department is likely to succeed in arguing “face covering and identification acts directly regulate federal officers in violation of the Supremacy Clause.”

D’Agostino added that “settled law establishes that federal, not state, authorities make the policies that animate the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

The DOJ sued New York in June, arguing the state could not dictate how federal immigration officers conduct enforcement operations, which ramped up during President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

D’Agostino also declined to block a separate New York law barring local law enforcement agencies from partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in carrying out certain enforcement functions. The so-called 287(g) agreements were set to take effect later this month.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) hailed that portion of the ruling, while slamming the court’s decision to block the mask requirement.

“As we have said from the start, New York’s ban on 287(g) agreements is legal and will keep our communities safe. Local law enforcement should be focused on local matters, and New York taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for any collaboration with ICE,” the two said in a joint statement.

“While the court enjoined enforcement of New York’s mask ban, we stand firm in our belief that masked agents do not make New York safer and our offices are reviewing all legal options at this time.”

The ruling is the latest in a string of clashes between Democratic-led states and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement. The administration had previously secured a similar ruling in February blocking a California law targeting masked federal immigration agents.