A federal appeals court panel has temporarily blocked a California law related to federal immigration enforcement because it appears to be unconstitutional.
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “No Vigilantes Act,” which requires non-uniformed federal law enforcement agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies to wear visible identification, as part of a campaign to oppose federal immigration enforcement in the state.
‘It applies exclusively to law enforcement agencies and their officers.’
The federal government successfully argued that the law violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
“That is precisely what the No Vigilantes Act does,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Mark Bennett in the unanimous decision.
Bennett and another judge of the appeals court panel were appointed by President Donald Trump, while a third judge was appointed under former President Barack Obama.
“The Act does not regulate conduct that any ordinary citizen could perform,” continued Bennett. “Rather, it applies exclusively to law enforcement agencies and their officers, including federal law enforcement agencies and federal law enforcement officers. The Act thus directly regulates conduct reserved to sovereigns.”
The law will be paused until it can be considered fully by the appeals court, but California officials can choose to file an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) did not indicate whether the state would take the case to the Supreme Court.
“Transparency and accountability are the foundation of good law enforcement,” read a statement from Bonta’s office. “The Trump administration has stepped well outside the boundaries of normal practice, deploying masked and unidentified agents to carry out immigration enforcement, despite the risks these tactics pose to public safety and basic civil liberties.”
Critics of the law say it puts federal agents and their families at unnecessary risk, but others say masked, unidentifiable agents put the public at risk.
“I’ll be signing a bill, the first in the nation, saying enough! To ICE: Unmask. What are you afraid of?” said Newsom to supporters in Sept. 2025.
RELATED: Judge DENIES Newsom emergency request to halt Trump order for military in Los Angeles
“You’re gonna go out and you’re gonna do enforcement? Provide an ID,” he added. “Tell us what agency you represent. Provide us basic information that all local law enforcement is required to provide.”
Newsom has positioned himself and California as leading opponents of the Trump agenda. Many believe the anti-Trump platform is meant to jump-start a possible presidential run for the term-limited governor.
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