The lawsuit also cites comments made by Gov. Sherrill, a Democrat, who previously said that “we’re not going to tolerate masked, roving militias pretending to be well-trained law enforcement agents.” A related press release clarified that the state was therefore “banning ICE agents from wearing masks, and protecting residents’ privacy from federal overreach.”
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit challenging a New Jersey state law that limits how and when members of law enforcement can conceal their identities while interacting with the public.
According to The New Jersey Monitor, the Justice Department’s lawsuit argues that the new rule improperly seeks to regulate the actions of federal officials.
“New Jersey lacks the legal authority to regulate the Federal Government at all, much less through a law targeted at core governmental functions such as law enforcement,” the Justice Department said in a preliminary statement republished, in part, by the New Jersey State Monitor.
The lawsuit itself is rife with politically-charged language, with the Justice Department accusing New Jersey officials of harboring undocumented immigrants, including “criminal offenders.”
“Despite the ongoing threat to American lives and communities, the State of New Jersey insists on harboring criminal offenders from federal law enforcement,” the lawsuit alleges. “The State of New Jersey, Governor Mike Sherrill, and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport … aim to intentionally obstruct federal immigration enforcement and even prosecute federal officers performing their duties. In addition to the plethora of dangerous sanctuary laws and policies Defendants already have on the books to obstruct federal law enforcement, Governor Sherrill recently signed three additional laws to obstruct federal law on March 25, 2026.”
One of these three laws includes the “Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act,” which prohibits law enforcement officials—including federal agents—from wearing a mask “while in the performance of the officer’s official duties.”
The lawsuit also cites comments made by Gov. Sherrill, a Democrat, who previously said that “we’re not going to tolerate masked, roving militias pretending to be well-trained law enforcement agents.” A related press release clarified that the state was therefore “banning ICE agents from wearing masks, and protecting residents’ privacy from federal overreach.”
“Not only is the law an illegal attempt to regulate the federal government, but, as alleged in the complaint, the law threatens the safety of federal officers who have faced an unprecedented wave of harassment, doxing, and even violence,” the Justice Department said in a press release. “Threatening officers with prosecution for simply protecting their identities and their families also chills the enforcement of federal law and compromises sensitive law enforcement operations.”
Davenport has since questioned the federal government’s need to ensure that ICE agents can hide their identities from the public.
“To this date, the Federal Government still cannot explain when its officials need to mask or forgo identification in violation of this law, or why they actually need to do so, particularly given the serious safety concerns inherent in anonymized policing,” Davenport said in a statement.
Davenport said that the state looks forward to addressing the allegations in court.
Sources
Justice Department Sues New Jersey Over Attempt to Regulate Federal Law Enforcement
Trump administration sues NJ over law limiting masks for cops, ICE agents
Join the conversation!