Philly can't force ICE agents to unmask, federal judge rules

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Updated July 2, 2026, 6:48 p.m. ET | Published July 2, 2026, 3:18 p.m. ET


Philadelphia can’t prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal officers from concealing their identities, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Chad F. Kenney issued an order preventing Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration and District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office from barring federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks, intentionally covering their badges, or using unmarked vehicles.

The U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause prevents states — or a city in this case — from imposing requirements on how federal agencies carry out their duties, the judge appointed by President Donald Trump said.

When City Council passed the bill in April as part of the ICE Out legislative package, the lawmakers “attempted to sidestep the Constitution’s clear mandate and disregarded this fundamental principle of law that has informed American jurisprudence for over 200 years,” Kenney’s opinion said.

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/ice-mask-ban-immigration-federal-officers-lawsuit-trump-injunction-20260702.html

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Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.paed.656611/gov.uscourts.paed.656611.21.0.pdf

[Bayard]

1. Once again,

Our founding fathers would have never envisioned our current situation when they wrote the Constitution, or that their words would get twisted around like they are now.

[DrFunkenstein]

3. This Is Prime Example of What Happens When the GOP Controls All 3 Branches

They have been able to do things exactly as they want. And, it turns out, they want a fascist state.

[raccoon]

2. Why do those MFs get to go around unmasked? Cops don't.

This country is beyond hope, is what I think when I hear this kind of bullshit.

[thesquanderer]

4. When Dems are in power again, Congress needs to pass a law prohibiting masks/badge coverings for ICE agents. nt