Federal immigration agents continue wearing masks during enforcement operations in New Jersey despite a state law explicitly banning the practice, sparking a constitutional showdown as protests outside a Newark detention center escalate into nightly clashes with demonstrators.

State Law Openly Ignored By Federal Officers

Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act in March, which prohibits all law enforcement officers from covering their faces during operations. The Democratic governor declared at the signing that New Jersey would not tolerate masked militias pretending to be trained law enforcement. Yet Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have openly defied the state mandate for over ten days during protests outside Delaney Hall, a migrant detention facility in Newark where detainees recently launched a hunger strike.

The Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit against New Jersey in April challenging the constitutionality of the mask ban. Lauren Bis, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman, stated the agency refuses to comply with what she called an unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal officers. She cited officer safety concerns, claiming ICE agents face a 1,300 percent increase in assaults, 3,300 percent increase in vehicular attacks, and 8,000 percent increase in death threats.

Violent Confrontations Lead To Federal Charges

The dispute turned serious when Nicholas Matthew Scelfo of Brooklyn appeared before a federal judge in Newark on charges of threatening to murder a federal agent during protests last week. Video evidence shows a man prosecutors identify as Scelfo screaming explicit death threats at an officer, saying he would kill the agent’s entire family. Federal authorities now use this incident to justify their agents wearing face coverings during operations. Scelfo faces up to ten years in prison if convicted on the federal charges.

New Jersey State Police have taken over crowd control duties outside the detention center, and Newark officials implemented a nightly curfew attempting to discourage demonstrators. Governor Sherrill told reporters Sunday that federal agents clearly are not focused on due process and are already breaking state law by wearing masks everywhere.

Constitutional Battle Awaits Court Decision

The legal dispute remains unresolved as a federal judge has not yet ruled on the Trump administration’s challenge to New Jersey’s mask ban. The case pits state authority to regulate law enforcement conduct within its borders against federal claims of supremacy in immigration enforcement operations. The outcome could establish precedent for how states can restrict federal agent behavior during operations on state soil, particularly as immigration enforcement becomes increasingly contentious nationwide.