A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a New York law that would have required U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to remove face coverings and display identifying information while conducting operations.
In a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino ruled that the state law likely violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by attempting to regulate the conduct of federal officers.
“The federal government, not the states, establishes the policies governing the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” the judge wrote in her decision.
However, D’Agostino declined to block a separate New York law prohibiting local law enforcement agencies from entering into immigration enforcement agreements with ICE under the federal 287(g) program.
Following the ruling, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James said they remain opposed to masked federal immigration agents but welcomed the court’s decision to uphold the state’s ban on local cooperation agreements with ICE.
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State officials said they are reviewing their legal options regarding the portion of the ruling that suspended the mask and identification requirements for federal agents.
