Federal-State Legal Conflicts

The Justice Department says California’s law banning masked federal immigration officers is not yet in force — DHS refused to comply, the state has agreed not to enforce the statute while the Trump administration’s lawsuit proceeds, and a federal court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12. Despite that, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell vowed to revoke drivers’ licenses of masked ICE agents who refuse to identify themselves, a pledge critics including a federal prosecutor and legal commentators say would likely be preempted by federal supremacy and is legally problematic.