Sherrill signs NJ law restricting face coverings for law enforcement

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Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed new legislation in New Jersey on Wednesday that limits face coverings worn by law enforcement, including federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The bill also adds an identification requirement, requiring officers to present identification before arresting or detaining someone, according to Sherrill’s remarks and the law described by the Associated Press.

Sherrill, who took office Jan. 20, has criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. Speaking after signing the measure, she said the anti-mask provision is part of a multipronged effort to keep New Jersey residents safe and to strengthen protections for privacy and rights.

“I can’t believe we have to say this, but in the United States of America, we’re not going to tolerate masked roving militias pretending, pretending to be well-trained law enforcement agents,” Sherrill said. She linked the law to an effort to protect people’s privacy and their rights, and to “strengthen trust between law enforcement and our communities,” the Associated Press reported.

The law makes New Jersey the second state this year to enact a restriction on face coverings by law enforcement. Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson, also a Democrat, signed a similar measure earlier this month, according to the Associated Press account.

The push by Democratic-led state governments has expanded beyond New Jersey and Washington, with the Associated Press reporting that other states have passed or are considering similar restrictions. The Associated Press also said a message seeking comment was left with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The DHS previously denounced the Washington state measure as “irresponsible, reckless and dangerous,” the Associated Press said, adding that the agency warned it would not comply. The Associated Press reported that the Trump administration is also suing New Jersey over Sherrill’s Feb. 11 executive order, which prohibits federal immigration agents from making arrests in nonpublic areas of state property such as correctional facilities and courthouses and bars state property from being used as a staging or processing area for immigration enforcement.

The signing of the New Jersey bill arrives as states continue to grapple with questions of how federal immigration enforcement operates on state grounds and whether local authorities can require identification and other conditions from federal personnel during arrests and detentions.