California’s Proposed ICE Mask Ban Faces Federal Condemnation

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., has vowed that if elected governor, he would strip driver’s licenses from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who wear masks in California.

In an interview on Wednesday, Swalwell, a candidate seeking his party’s nomination, stated: “If the governor has the ability to issue driver’s licenses to people in California, if you’re going to wear a mask and not identify yourself, you’re not going to be eligible to drive a vehicle in California.”

He further added that he would compel ICE agents to remove masks and show their faces during operations: “If the president is going to send ICE agents to chase immigrants through the fields where they work, what I’m going to do is make them take off their masks and show their identification— and if they commit crimes, they’ll be charged with crimes.”

The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from Harmeet Dhillon, an assistant attorney for civil rights. On social media, Dhillon condemned Swalwell’s stance: “What’s even dumber about this is that Swalwell has a law degree and he even once made a living as a prosecutor… He knows about federal supremacy and that it is not possible for a state prosecutor to do any of the things he is promising. Oh, and he won’t ever be governor, either.”

California enacted a mask ban for ICE agents in early 2026. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, declared the law unconstitutional: “At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt.”

The state has agreed to suspend enforcement of the ban while a federal lawsuit filed by the Trump administration progresses through court. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for January 12.