Scope: Federal (California)
Branch: Legislative
Severity: Green
Date occurred: September 1, 2025
Phase: Sep 2025
In September 2025, California became the first state to pass laws restricting ICE agent conduct within the state, enacting the No Vigilantes Act and No Secret Police Act. The laws prohibit ICE agents from wearing face coverings while on duty and require them to visibly display identification, including agency, name, or badge number. Numerous other states have since enacted similar policies following California's example. Key provisions of the California laws have since been blocked in separate federal court rulings from the Central District of California and the Ninth Circuit.
Constitutional basis: California Legislature exercising its own lawmaking authority under the state constitution; no state-internal branch challenge
Sources
- Migration Policy Institute
- American Immigration Council