The St. Paul City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Wednesday barring law enforcement from wearing masks or face coverings.
The council introduced the ordinance on Feb. 4, amid a federal immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota. Many federal officers and agents have been wearing face coverings in Minnesota and around the country.
“I think everyone wants our residents to feel safe, to feel protected and to be able to move around freely, without fear of masked secret agents in our city,” City Council Vice President HwaJeong Kim said during Wednesday’s meeting.
The ordinance, which takes effect 30 days after approval by the mayor and publication, applies to all law enforcement, said City Council Member Molly Coleman.
St. Paul police officers typically do not wear masks, except for potentially face coverings in cold weather or gas masks when needed, said Alyssa Arcand, a St. Paul police spokeswoman.
The ordinance says any officer “who willfully and knowingly violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
“St. Paul police officers will educate members of law enforcement on the ordinance if they are seen or reported to be wearing a mask,” Arcand said. “We are also having conversations with local and federal law enforcement leadership, so they are aware of this new ordinance.”
California ban blocked
A federal judge on Feb. 9 blocked a California law from going into effect that would ban federal immigration agents from covering their faces, but they will still be required to wear clear identification showing their agency and badge number.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit in November challenging the laws, arguing that they would threaten the safety of officers who are facing harassment, doxing and violence. It also argued the law violated the constitution because the state is directly regulating the federal government.
The judge said she issued the initial ruling because the mask ban as it was enacted did not also apply to state law enforcement authorities, discriminating against the federal government. It left open the possibility to future legislation banning federal agents from wearing masks if it applied to all law enforcement agencies.
Other efforts
The Minnesota House DFL, in announcing plans this week in response to ICE, said it intends to introduce legislation banning masks for agents and requiring visible identification, along with requiring vehicles that transport detainees to be marked as law enforcement.
Last week, the St. Paul city council approved an ordinance requiring law enforcement officers to have the name of their law enforcement agency on the outermost layer of their uniform. It also requires either a name or badge number, or both, on the uniform.
Tom Homan, the White House border czar, announced last week that Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota was coming to an end. He said Sunday that a “small” security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining immigration agents. He also said agents will keep investigating fraud allegations.
This report includes information from the Associated Press.
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