LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court issued an order blocking a California law passed in 2025 requiring federal immigration agents to wear a badge or some form of identification.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit in November challenging the law, arguing that it would threaten the safety of officers who are facing harassment, doxing, and violence and that it violated the constitution because the state was directly seeking to regulate the federal government.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction pending appeal. It had already granted a temporary administrative injunction to block the implementation of the law while the appeal took place.
The measure was one of two major pieces of legislation enacted last fall aimed at reining in federal immigration agents after a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration in Southern California in June. Advocates have raised concerns about masked agents conducting workplace raids or arresting people on the street, often without showing identification.
At a hearing March 3, Justice Department lawyers argued that the California identification requirement law sought to regulate the federal government, violating the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.
The appeals court agreed unanimously, saying the law 'attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions,' in an opinion written by Judge Mark J. Bennett.
California lawyers argued that the law applied equally to all law enforcement officers without discriminating against the U.S. government, and that states could apply 'generally applicable' laws federal agents. They also argued that the law was important to address public safety concerns.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called it a 'huge legal victory' in a post on X. California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office stated they are reviewing the order and emphasized the importance of transparency in law enforcement.
