CALIFORNIA — A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously blocked California from enforcing a 2025 law requiring federal immigration agents to display visible identification while performing their duties. The ruling was issued in April 2026.

The panel found that the California law, known as the "No Vigilantes Act," violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars states from regulating the operations of the federal government. The panel held that a state law directly regulating the conduct of the federal government is void regardless of whether the regulated activities are essential to federal functions or of the degree of interference with those functions. California argued that the court should consider state concerns about the impact of federal immigration enforcement on public safety, but the panel declined to do so.

The panel cited an 1890 Supreme Court case establishing that a state cannot prosecute federal law enforcement officers acting in the course of their official duties. It concluded that the United States had shown a likelihood of success on its Supremacy Clause claim and that the public interest and the balance of equities decisively favored a preliminary injunction.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed the identification law in 2025 alongside a measure prohibiting federal immigration agents from wearing masks. The Trump administration filed suit challenging both laws. On February 19, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the California mask law.

"This Department of Justice stands unwavering and full-throated behind the brave men and women of ICE who risk their lives daily to enforce our immigration laws and keep American citizens safe," Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said. "Today's legal victory at the Ninth Circuit halts the enforcement of California's mask ban for ICE agents and represents a major win for the protection of law enforcement," Blanche said.

This year, California lawmakers are advancing additional bills directed at federal immigration agents, including proposals to bar them from working with California police agencies and a measure to make it easier for individuals to sue federal agents for civil rights violations.