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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Edward Helmore

US federal judge blocks New York’s ban on ICE officers wearing masks

close up of two men wearing masks and a woman without a mask
Masked federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Ted Weiss federal building on 12 May 2026 in New York City. Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images

A New York law banning US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring that they wear visible identification has been put on hold by a federal judge. But a state law prohibiting cooperation between local police departments and ICE has been allowed to stand.

The mask ruling comes after federal judges have blocked similar laws in California, Virginia and Pennsylvania that sought to ban federal immigration agents from covering their faces. They are still required to wear agency identification badges and badge numbers.

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