The California National Party is urging the state government to pass a ban on the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers, particularly federal immigration officials and other federal agents operating within California. The party is also advocating for California to halt payments to the federal government and consider steps toward independence.
Separate statements were issued this past Sunday by party chair Sean Forbes, following several days of protests in response to federal immigration operations in the state. Last Friday, ICE agents began conducting targeted raids in Los Angeles, prompting protests in the city and the LAPD to declare an “unlawful assembly” soon after. The following day, the Trump administration federalized approximately 2,000 members of the California National Guard under Title 10 to support ICE operations without Governor Gavin Newsom’s consent, prompting him to file an emergency lawsuit being heard on Thursday afternoon.
The first statement calls on Newsom and the state legislature to enact an anti-mask order requiring all law enforcement, especially ICE agents, to clearly identify themselves while operating in California. The party argues that citizens deserve to know who is carrying out actions “that many believe to be unconstitutional and abusive,” and that California police should be empowered to enforce this transparency.
“If these agents truly believe their actions are lawful, they should have no objection to operating openly and transparently,” the statement reads.
The second statement denounces what the party regards as “fascistic assaults” on state residents from the federal government, and accuses it of not only militarizing raids but also of threatening state sovereignty by withholding federal funds and cutting social programs like FEMA, Medicaid, and SNAP. It references a June 6 remark from Newsom that California pays “over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back” and frames the moment as an opportunity for the state to “sever these ties” entirely.
“If we do not act, we will see more masked federal agents terrorizing our communities,” the statement continues. “More of our hard-earned tax dollars will continue to subsidize Red States with failing economies and extremist agendas. And the decay and dysfunction of the federal government will drag us further down.”
The party is encouraging supporters to contact their state legislators and the governor’s office to demand immediate action. If current leaders fail to act, the party says it will work to elect officials who support full independence for California.
That exact proposal leads to Constitutional issues, but there are variants: Testimonies of persons who went masked to hide their identities as to what they witnessed while they were masked, are not admissible in California Courts, because it cannot be proven that they were the person doing the witnessing. Enforced commandeering doctrine: State resources are not to be used to assist Federal arrest procedures (with thanks to the Libertarian public official who successfully litigated this point in modern times.)