9th Circuit Blocks California Law Requiring ICE Agents to Show ID A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that California overstepped its authority by attempting to regulate federal immigration agents, blocking a state law that required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to display identification during operations. The decision, issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9, marked a significant legal victory for the Trump administration in its ongoing dispute with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom over immigration enforcement practices. The 9th Circuit’s ruling centered on California’s “No Vigilantes Act,” a law signed by Newsom in 2023 that mandated ICE agents to wear visible badges and avoid concealing their identities during operations. The court found the law violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which grants federal laws precedence over conflicting state regulations. The panel, comprising two Trump appointees and one Obama appointee, stated that California’s attempt to directly regulate federal agents’ conduct during immigration enforcement was unconstitutional. The case arose after Newsom signed the No Vigilantes Act and the No Secret Police Act, which aimed to address public concerns about unidentified federal agents conducting raids in California. Newsom argued that the laws were necessary to ensure transparency and accountability, stating that “Trump’s ICE agents need to be reined in and held to the same standards as any other law enforcement agency.” However, the Trump administration contested the laws, asserting that they improperly intruded on federal authority. The court’s decision followed a separate February ruling by a federal judge in California that blocked the mask-ban provision of the No Secret Police Act.#gavin_newsom #immigration_and_customs_enforcement #9th_circuit #no_vigilantes_act #no_secret_police_act
