Los Angeles County is going after masked law enforcement — and they’re not being subtle about it.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors voted 4–0 (with one abstention) to draft an ordinance that would ban officers, including federal agents, from concealing their faces or identities while on duty — except in limited cases, like undercover operations or medical protection. The measure would also require all law enforcement to clearly display identification and agency affiliation when working in public.
Why now? Because immigration raids in the city have ramped up under President Trump’s mass deportation push. Federal agents — often in tactical gear, masks, and without visible name tags — have been conducting operations in Southern California since June. The raids triggered protests and even led to the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines, though roughly half the Guard and all the Marines have now been pulled out.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, who co-authored the proposal with Supervisor Hilda Solis, blasted the raids:
“Across the county, people are being pulled out of their cars, beaten, and ripped from their families by men in tactical gear with balaclavas, no badges, and no names. That’s not how law enforcement in a democracy should operate.”
But here’s the catch: can LA County even enforce this against federal agencies like ICE? Hahn admitted they’re not sure. “Ultimately, it might have to be decided by a court,” she said.
ICE leadership isn’t budging. Acting director Todd Lyons defended the use of masks, saying it’s about agent safety:
“I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is.”
This fight isn’t confined to LA. A pending California state measure would block local, state, and federal officers from covering their faces while on duty, and Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced similar legislation at the federal level.
County counsel now has 60 days to draft the ordinance for board review.
