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Trump Administration Sues New Jersey Governor Over ICE Mask Ban
New Jersey, where Mikie Sherrill is governor, is one of only a few states to try to bar federal immigration agents from wearing masks.
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A masked federal agent guarded a gate at an ICE facility in Newark last year from protesters trying to blockade it.
Credit...
Victor J. Blue for The New York Times
By
Tracey Tully
April 29, 2026,
4:31 p.m. ET
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The Trump administration on Wednesday sued New Jersey’s governor and attorney general over a state law that bars law enforcement officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing masks while on duty.
The governor of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill, last month
signed legislation
that requires ICE agents to clearly identify themselves and prohibits them from shielding their faces during enforcement actions. Department of Homeland Security officials immediately said that agents would continue wearing masks despite the state law.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department backed up that vow with a legal challenge. It is at least the
second time the Trump administration
has sued to overturn immigration policies enacted by Ms. Sherrill, a
Democrat who has harshly criticized President Trump
.
The
new suit
argues that New Jersey’s anti-mask law violates the U.S. Constitution and opens agents and their families to online harassment and violence. The Justice Department filing also said that it was essential for ICE agents to maintain anonymity so that they could retain an element of surprise in “future enforcement.”
“Because suspects who recognize officers may take pre-emptive actions to evade apprehension and obstruct enforcement efforts, masking is critical for maintaining operational effectiveness,” the suit states.
That is precisely the type of anonymous enforcement that Ms. Sherrill said she aimed to prevent when she signed the bill into law.
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