The Department of Homeland Security said it will not adhere to a California law banning law enforcement agents from wearing face coverings while on duty.

The No Secret Police Act, signed into law on Saturday by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), prevents Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, along with other local, federal, and out-of-state officers, from wearing face masks to shield their identities while on patrol.

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Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that the department will not comply with the California law, calling it “unconstitutional.” DHS’s X account posted a video of McLaughlin’s comments on Fox News on Monday.

The law comes as part of an initiative by several states to respond to online backlash directed at videos of masked ICE agents detaining people across the country. As New York and Massachusetts weigh similar initiatives, California became the first state to sign a bill into law.

“At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt,” DHS wrote on X.

McLaughlin said by signing the law, Newsom “is encouraging violence against our ICE law enforcement officers. It’s despicable.”

Newsom directed ICE agents to unmask, asking, “What are you afraid of?” during a press conference announcing the bill Saturday.

“We refuse to be bullied by these ‘secret police’ tactics — and we’ll keep standing up for Californians against this administration’s dangerous actions,” Newsom said on X.

ICE HAVING A HARD TIME POACHING CALIFORNIA POLICE

Bill Essayli, acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, appointed under the Trump administration, said the state’s jurisdiction does not apply to the federal government.

“The State of California has no jurisdiction over the federal government. If Newsom wants to regulate our agents, he must go through Congress. I’ve directed our federal agencies that the law signed today has no effect on our operations. Our agents will continue to protect their identities,” Essayli wrote on X on Saturday.