Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Washington Bans Opaque Masks for All Law Enforcement, Including Federal Agents

Homeland Security's refusal sets up the next battle in court.

FILE - Masked federal agents wait outside an immigration courtroom, July 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova, File)
FILE - Federal agents look on as protesters gather outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker, File)
FILE - U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detain a man outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs building during a protest in Portland, Ore., June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
FILE - An ICE Special Response Team member stands guard outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, while protesters gather outside to denounce the ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

Overview

  • Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the measure Thursday and it took effect immediately statewide.
  • The law applies to federal, state and local officers during public interactions and bars identity‑concealing coverings such as balaclavas and gaiters.
  • Exceptions allow masks for undercover and tactical operations, religious use and medical protection, and violations expose officers to civil lawsuits rather than criminal charges.
  • The Department of Homeland Security labeled the ban “irresponsible, reckless and dangerous” and said it will not abide by it.
  • Washington joins new limits advancing in Oregon and Virginia—where violations can be misdemeanors—as more than 30 states weigh similar bills and after a judge blocked California’s earlier, narrower law in February.