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The Washington state Senate voted Wednesday to ban law enforcement from covering their faces in response to growing concerns over masked federal immigration agents.

Senate Bill 5855 would cover local, state and federal law enforcement, with limited exceptions for uses like personal protective equipment and undercover or SWAT operations. The proposal is sure to face legal hurdles if it becomes law.

Under the legislation, people detained by masked officers could sue them in their official capacity, potentially opening up governments to legal liability.

Democratic senators passed it on a party-line 30-19 vote with no Republican support.

Bill sponsor Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, said on the Senate floor that every day federal immigration enforcement officers are intimidating and tearing working families apart.

“These masked federal agents are operating without accountability,” he said.

Democrats turned down three Republican-backed amendments to expand exceptions to the ban.

The legislation now heads to the House, where leadership doesn’t expect it to reach a floor vote until mid- to late February.

It is a top priority for Democrats this year in the Legislature as they look to protect immigrants from the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement.

This month, for example, masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents reportedly arrested three people and pulled them into an unmarked van in Seattle, according to The Seattle Times. In an April raid at a Bellingham roofing company, dozens of ICE agents donned masks when they arrested 37 workers accused of being in the country without legal status.

It’s one of the first high-profile bills to pass the Senate this session. If it gets through the House and is signed by the governor, it would go into effect immediately, adding urgency to the legislative process.

“We must act now to protect our communities, and ensure transparency and accountability,” Valdez said.

Gov. Bob Ferguson has repeatedly expressed support for the measure.

California was the first state in the nation to pass such a ban last year. It took effect Jan. 1.

The Trump administration is challenging it in court. It hasn’t yet been ruled on, but in a hearing this month, a judge seemed skeptical of the need for agents to mask.

“Why can’t they perform their duties without a mask? They did that until 2025, did they not?” U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder said. “How in the world do those who don’t mask manage to operate?”

In a committee hearing on Washington’s bill this month, Pete Serrano, who leads the federal prosecutor’s office in eastern Washington, said the legislation could violate the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause that holds federal statutes “shall be the supreme Law of the Land.”

Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, said he couldn’t rebut Valdez’s arguments, but regulating federal agents “is beyond our pay grade.”

Sen. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, argued the bill “sends the wrong message” and seems like another way Washington is showing that it doesn’t support law enforcement, referring to the Legislature’s focus on police accountability in recent years.

The Trump administration has argued ICE agents need to wear gaiter-style face coverings to protect their identities amid increased death threats and doxxing.

“The reason that they are currently wearing masks is they were threatened personally and their families were threatened,” said Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn.

Sen. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, recalled working as a U.S. Customs inspector in 1999 and catching Ahmed Ressam, who was found guilty of plotting to blow up the Los Angeles International Airport as a member of Al-Qaeda.

“I’m more proud and more honored to stand here today to say you can do good law enforcement, you can stand for something and having your face known in the world is not something to be afraid of,” he said.

Supporters see the face covering ban as an extension of a 2021 state law requiring officers be “reasonably identifiable” while on duty.

The same year, Congress required military members and federal law enforcement to visibly display their name and employer while responding to civil disturbances. The federal law exempts those who don’t wear uniforms while carrying out their duties and those working undercover.

Lawmakers in many other states are considering similar bills to Washington’s. U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday called for barring federal immigration enforcement agents from wearing masks, among other reforms, to get their votes to approve government funding and avert a partial federal shutdown.

The focus on the issue has only grown with the Trump administration’s crackdown in Minnesota.

Ferguson on Monday painted a grim outlook if Washington were to see a similar ICE deployment. He could see calling up the state National Guard to act as a buffer between protesters and federal authorities, for example.

The governor is also pushing legislation to stop civilians from falsely identifying themselves as law enforcement officers due to concerns about people impersonating ICE agents. House Bill 2165 would make it a gross misdemeanor to masquerade as police. The legislation passed out of a House committee last week with bipartisan support.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/29/washington-senate-ban-police-face-coverings/