New York is moving to pull the masks off law enforcement officers. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she and state lawmakers have a deal on the 2027 budget that would bar police, including federal agents like those with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, from covering their faces while on duty except in limited situations, such as when gas masks are required, per Reuters. The budget agreement also blocks state and local agencies from assisting ICE with federal immigration enforcement—though unofficial communication between law enforcement and ICE is still allowed—and restricts ICE from entering "sensitive locations," including schools, hospitals, and homes, without a judge-signed warrant.
ICE is also blocked from placing detainees in local jails under the agreement, per the New York Times, which describes the measures as "some of the strictest rules for immigration officials of any state in the country." Hochul said they're necessary because ICE isn't just targeting "hardened criminals and gang members," but also "mothers still nursing their infants" and "an 85-year-old widow in her nightgown." The Democratic-led legislature could vote on the measures as soon as next week. Similar efforts in California and New Jersey have already drawn lawsuits from the Justice Department; a federal judge tossed California's mask ban in February as unlawfully discriminatory, suggesting New York's plan could face a courtroom test as well. For more on the budget, see here.
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