Residents, activists, academics, and legislators expressed disappointment with the stance of Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, who, despite stating that they would not cooperate with masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the The application of arrests and raids has assured that it will not enforce California's SB 627 law. Known as the "Anti-Secret Police Act," SB 627 prohibits the use of most face coverings (such as balaclavas and bandanas) by local, state, and federal law enforcement in California, effective January 1, 2026. The law requires agencies to publish their policies by July 1, 2026, with exceptions for tactical/SWAT operations, undercover agents, and health and safety situations. The law was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2025, citing the need to increase transparency and accountability by addressing public fears surrounding the presence of masked officers, particularly federal agents who have used excessive force against documented, undocumented, and U.S. citizens. “The reality of one armed agency confronting another armed agency to create conflict over something that, at best, would be a minor offense or infraction, makes no sense,” the LAPD chief said during a press conference where he released new crime statistics for the city of Los Angeles. “It’s not a good public policy decision, and in my opinion, it wasn’t well thought out,” McDonnell said. “It establishes who he answers to.” McDonnell’s stance was not well received by the Latino community. “I think it’s a pattern we’ve seen before with the interaction between the police and ICE,” said Miguel Tinker Salas, professor emeritus of Chicano studies at Pomona College.

“Now it is clearly demonstrated that the police chief prefers to support other law enforcement agencies, in this case ICE, rather than obey the law established by the state.”

Tinker Salas dismissed the idea that a confrontation could arise between local and federal law enforcement authorities who are enforcing immigration laws.

“I don’t think so,” he stated. “But, without a doubt, it’s not that he’s betraying the Latino community that believed in him, but rather that he has established whom he obeys. In this case, apparently [McDonnell] follows the mandates of the federal government and not the mayor [Karen Bass].” State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, has been challenged in court by the Department of Justice, which is attempting to block it. In its lawsuit, the DOJ argues that SB 627 violates the Supremacy Clause by restricting federal operations, while California seeks to increase transparency. It only contemplated an exception for SWAT teams in necessary cases, such as undercover operations. A federal judge temporarily suspended the enforcement of the law in December 2025. Throwing away trust. Francisco Moreno, president of the Council of Mexican Federations in North America (COFEM), stated from the outset that having masked agents is against the law and represents a basic aggression against the citizenry. “These masked criminals damage trust in our federal government,” Moreno said. “Chief McDonnell has been very committed to our immigrant community for a long time, but with these masked individuals, we must put a face to their violence so that they do not go unnoticed.” “The law is for everyone. We see their violence with the agents who killed two people in Minneapolis [Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti],” he added. “We need to know the faces of those who murdered them; they shouldn't be entering neighborhoods masked.”

Moreno noted that if McDonnell is backing down and not enforcing state law, “we don't like that. He knows there's a fine line to cross before he can throw away all the trust he's built. He needs to react and intervene to prohibit masked federal agents.”

In his press conference, Jim McDonald argued that trying to fine federal agents for a minor mask-related violation would be tactically dangerous and could escalate already tense situations.

“From a practical standpoint, our role when we arrive on a scene is to de-escalate the situation, not escalate it,” he said. “Enforcing a minor violation or any other law by another law enforcement agency is not going to end well, and that's not good.”

From a public safety standpoint, it's not safe for anyone in that environment.”

I maintain that potentially, there could be a rowdy crowd trying to express their opinion. And then there are the ICE agents doing their job, “and for us to intervene to try to issue a citation for not wearing a mask is not a safe way to proceed.”

“He should be fired.”

Those words didn't convince Maria Cruz, a Latina worker.

“What we need is for them to protect us, not turn a blind eye,” the immigrant woman said. “A few days ago, the masked officers came and took a lot of people away.”

Cruz added that if the police don't protect Angelenos when they need them, then who are we going to ask for help?” she questioned. “And if we don’t work, how are we going to pay the rent?” In response to the controversy, Salvador Sanabria, director of El Rescate, criticized Jim McDonnell’s attitude, calling it a “betrayal” of the Latino community and stating that he “should be fired and replaced by a police chief with the proper credentials.” “At worst, he should go after the bounty hunters, because they are an aggressive force deployed in Los Angeles, mostly made up of people delegated to perform federal duties, who were given a badge to terrorize communities, but who haven’t had the proper training and don’t know the federal laws that regulate ICE’s work,” Sanabria asserted. “They are even less familiar with the constitutional amendments that protect the people and citizens of the United States.”

Former Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, who was a vital part of the Sanctuary State declaration for California, suggested that, in case of doubt about whether or not to apply SB 627, interested parties should consult the state's Attorney General, Rob Bonta.

“In many cases, you can ask the courts for an opinion on the interpretation of the laws,” the former legislator said.

The law must be enforced: Mark Gonzalez

Mark Gonzalez, Democratic Assemblyman from Los Angeles (District 54), stated that Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, regarding not enforcing the mask ban for ICE agents in California, as stipulated by SB 627, “is reluctant due to potential legal conflicts and the risk of federal lawsuits.”

“In this legislature, we worked very hard to “We need to make sure we pass SB 627, which obviously prohibits law enforcement officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks, obviously concealing their identity during the types of interactions we are seeing, of course, with exceptions for medical needs and specialized tactical equipment,” Gonzalez told La Opinion.The Latino lawmaker said he felt “disappointed,” like anyone else, given that the legislation was passed because it created penalties that could result in misdemeanors or infractions. “Additional agents who wear a mask while committing those crimes, such as unlawful detention or assault, can be sued for civil damages,” he said. “Those were rights we gave to people who were being kidnapped.” “In this case, there are also legal challenges and noncompliance issues on the part of the Department of Homeland Security, which has stated that it will not comply,” he added. “It’s kind of a tug-of-war in terms of what the legal challenges are that we’re going to face.”

What are the legal implementations?

“In this case, the LAPD expressing reluctance to enforce the law because of the potential conflict of interest is the reason why, as I understand it, the police chief is saying [that he’s not going to enforce the law against ICE’s undercover police],” Mark Gonzales explained.

By passing the law proclaimed by Governor Gavin Newsom, California lawmakers believed that they would force federal agents to remove their masks and that showing their IDs would cause agents to quit, resign, or not show up for work, “since it exposes them and would raise concerns about the long-term personal and social repercussions of having chosen to act as ICE agents.”