Judge Blocks Philadelphia From Banning Masked Federal Officers
A federal injunction says the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause prevents the city from restricting how ICE and other federal agents identify themselves during operations, a ruling that could shape similar legal fights nationwide.
Overview
- A U.S. district judge issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday, July 2, preventing Philadelphia from enforcing the part of its 'ICE Out' law that would bar masks, hidden badges, or unmarked vehicles for federal officers.
- The blocked provision would have made it a crime for officers to conceal personal identifiers or use unmarked vehicles and carried penalties of up to 90 days in jail and fines.
- The Justice Department sued the city, the mayor, the district attorney and the city solicitor and argued the ordinance unlawfully regulated federal operations; the judge agreed and said the Supremacy Clause preempts the local rule.
- Federal agencies told the court the restriction would endanger officers by exposing them to doxxing and threats, while city officials and Council members defended the broader sanctuary package as oversight of federal enforcement.
- Six other bills in the 'ICE Out' package were signed by Mayor Cherelle Parker and will take effect, and the injunction is likely to be appealed as part of a growing national pattern of federal challenges to local limits on immigration enforcement.