Democrat New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation this week banning law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, from wearing masks, leaving them vulnerable to targeted harassment.
The governor signed SCS for S3114 and 3216/A1743, which, according the March 25 press release, “Requires law enforcement officer[s] to reveal facial identity during certain public interactions and to present sufficient identification prior to arresting or detaining person.”
In a statement describing the bills she signed, Sherrill said, “These bills underscore that here in New Jersey, we still follow the Constitution and uphold the rule of law.”
“My focus as governor remains on keeping the public safe,” she continued before taking a dig at President Donald Trump, describing ICE agents as “untrained” and “unaccountable.”
“As we’ve seen across the country, Donald Trump’s untrained, unaccountable, masked ICE agents are putting people in danger,” she said.
“That’s why in New Jersey, we are protecting our communities — strengthening our protections, banning ICE agents from wearing masks, and protecting residents’ privacy from federal overreach,” Sherrill added.
This has remained a sticking point when it comes to the partial government shutdown as Democrats have demanded reforms to ICE, taking issue, specifically, with the use of masks.
“Senate Democrats want to ban ICE officers from wearing masks so their left-wing street militias can dox the officers and terrorize the officers’ wives and children at their homes,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said on Wednesday, offering further perspective on day 40 of the Senate battle over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
On Thursday the shutdown reached day 41.
A DHS spokesperson told NBC10 regarding the New Jersey law, “Sanctuary politicians attempting to ban our federal law enforcement from wearing masks is despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers.”
DHS made it clear that it will “not abide” by what it described as an “unconstitutional ban.”
“The Supremacy Clause makes it clear that New Jersey’s sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement,” the spokesperson continued, describing the law as “irresponsible, reckless, and dangerous.”
The DHS spokesperson emphasized the importance of ICE agents wearing masks, reminding Americans that it protects them from targeted harassment, highlighting “a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults, 3,300 percent increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against them.”
“ICE officers wear face coverings for one reason: to protect themselves and their families from real-world threats, including agitators,” DHS said. “The danger is not hypothetical.”
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