U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino of the Northern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction blocking key portions of a state law targeting federal immigration agents.
The law would have prohibited federal agents from wearing masks and required them to display visible identification while carrying out official duties on New York soil.
D’Agostino found the challenged provisions were likely unconstitutional because they interfere with federal law enforcement operations across multiple agencies.
The ruling applies not only to Immigration and Customs Enforcement but also to the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The judge determined that only the federal government holds the authority to establish policies governing how its own law enforcement agents conduct operations.
“New York cannot impose its own uniform requirements on federal agents simply because it disagrees with how the Federal Government is exercising its authority,” the ruling stated.
The decision means federal immigration agents may continue wearing masks while conducting operations in New York while the broader legal challenge moves forward in court.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James criticized the ruling and confirmed they are reviewing further legal options in response.
“While the court enjoined enforcement of New York’s mask ban, we stand firm in our belief that masked agents do not make New York safer and our offices are reviewing all legal options at this time,” the pair said in a joint statement.
However, D’Agostino declined to block a separate provision of the law barring New York local law enforcement from performing certain federal immigration enforcement functions under 287(g) agreements.
The judge reasoned that participation by state and local agencies in federal civil immigration enforcement is entirely voluntary under existing federal law.
“The State’s refusal to cooperate in the immigration context — a possibility contemplated by the relevant federal statutes — does not constitute discrimination against the federal government,” the ruling stated.
Hochul and James welcomed that portion of the decision, arguing that New York taxpayers should not be required to fund local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“Local law enforcement should be focused on local matters, and New York taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for any collaboration with ICE,” their joint statement read.
The ruling represents a significant legal victory for federal immigration enforcement agencies operating in a state that has positioned itself in direct opposition to the Trump administration’s deportation operations.
