A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Virginia from enforcing a new law that would prohibit federal agents — U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol — from wearing masks while carrying out enforcement operations, siding with the Trump administration in a dispute over federal authority.Senior U.S.
District Judge Robert E.Payne granted the Department of Justice's (DOJ) request for a preliminary injunction, preventing the law from taking effect Wednesday while the legal challenge proceeds.
The injunction will remain in place while the case is litigated.Payne found the federal government is likely to succeed on the merits because Virginia's law attempts to regulate how federal officers enforce immigration laws, violating the Constitution's Supremacy Clause.MINNESOTA SENATE VOTES TO BAN ICE FROM WEARING MASKS, ALLOW RESIDENTS TO SUE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONSMasked federal agents are confronted by anti-ICE agitators.(Getty Images, File)The judge also found the government demonstrated it would likely suffer irreparable harm because enforcing the law could expose federal employees to "real risk of physical harm" while carrying out immigration enforcement duties.The ruling stems from a lawsuit the DOJ filed last week challenging two laws signed by Democrat Virginia Gov.
Abigail Spanberger.The DOJ argued the measures would subject masked federal agents to criminal penalties and threaten agreements between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement.DOJ ESCALATES BLUE-STATE ICE STANDOFF AFTER STATES REFUSE KEY FEDERAL REQUEST"Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said when the lawsuit was filed."Virginia's anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents," he added."These laws cannot stand."The lawsuit argued Vir...