Los Angeles Police Chief Rejects Enforcement of ICE Mask Ban

Police Chief Jim McDonnell has announced that the Los Angeles Police Department will not enforce a mask ban aimed at California Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

The ban, known as the “Secret Police Prohibition Law,” officially started at the beginning of 2026.

In response to the ban, McDonnell stated, “The reality of one armed agency approaching another armed agency and creating a conflict over something that at best amounts to a misdemeanor or violation is meaningless.”

According to coverage by Los Angeles Magazine, while McDonnell refuses to enforce the mask ban, he will maintain his policy of not cooperating with ICE on immigration-related matters.

“We’ve been adhering to this since 1979. That’s our policy. It worked fine for us. We cannot afford to marginalize immigrant communities within Los Angeles. We have built trust over the years and cannot afford to lose that trust. We have tried to be as clear as possible about our position on ICE and immigration enforcement. We’re not working with ICE on that.”

Meanwhile, State Senator Sasha Renee Perez (D) criticized McDonnell’s stance. She expressed concern over his decision to label the enforcement of the mask ban as ‘meaningless’, suggesting it demonstrates a lack of respect for his responsibility to uphold state law.

She remarked, “Police chiefs cannot choose which laws to enforce and which to ignore.”