New York state is set to ban law enforcement from wearing masks while on duty, Governor Kathy Hochul said on Thursday, a move that is likely to be challenged by the Trump administration.
The announcement was made as Hochul, a Democrat, said an agreement had been reached with state lawmakers on New York’s 2027 budget, which included sweeping immigration changes.
Blake G. Washington, the state’s budget director, expects the bills to be passed by the Democratic-led legislature as soon as next week.
Under that agreement, state law enforcement will be prohibited from working with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on federal immigration efforts. It will also ban ICE from entering schools, healthcare facilities, homes, and other sensitive locations without a judicial warrant.
“We’re also banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks, except in rare circumstances where there’s a genuine operational need, like a gas mask,” Hochul said.
“No members of state, local, or federal law enforcement wear masks during ordinary operations,” she said.
Other Democratic states, including California and New Jersey, have rolled out similar efforts prohibiting ICE from wearing masks while carrying out Republican President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration campaign.
The US Justice Department sued those states, challenging the bans. A federal judge struck down the California ban in February, saying that it “unlawfully discriminates against federal officers.”