{"id":3164,"date":"2026-01-28T12:00:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/pedersen\/?p=3164"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:05:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:05:34","slug":"senate-passes-ban-on-ice-wearing-masks-in-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/pedersen\/2026\/01\/28\/senate-passes-ban-on-ice-wearing-masks-in-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate passes ban on ICE wearing masks in Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dear friends and neighbors,<\/p>\n<p>Many of you have reached out to ask about what the Legislature is doing to protect the people of Washington, including our immigrant communities, from a hostile and malevolent federal government. I share your shock and outrage at the federal presence in Minnesota as masked agents create chaos, terrorize communities, and kill Americans.<\/p>\n<p>I want to start by noting that we were not caught flat-footed.\u00a0 In 2019, the legislature passed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atg.wa.gov\/immigrationguidance\">Keep Washington Working Act<\/a>, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from being used for federal immigration enforcement actions.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier today, the Senate passed legislation to ban ICE from wearing face coverings in our state. <a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=5855&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">Senate Bill 5855<\/a> would prohibit all law enforcement officers from wearing masks while interacting with the public, except when they are undercover or using protective gear for safety. The law would also allow people harmed by violations to sue for damages. I expect the bill will receive similar support in the House and I look forward to seeing the governor sign it into law soon.<\/p>\n<p>This legislation represents an important first step as Democrats in the Legislature work to do everything in our power to protect people in Washington. \u00a0I support <a href=\"https:\/\/governor.wa.gov\/news\/2026\/governor-ferguson-attorney-general-brown-denounce-unconstitutional-actions-out-control-ice-agents\">statements this week by our governor and attorney general<\/a> to denounce ICE actions and prepare Washington in the event the Trump administration launches similar actions here. I will continue to work with my colleagues to pass additional legislation to push back and protect Washingtonians:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary\/?BillNumber=5852&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB 5852<\/a>, the Immigrant Worker Protection Act, would require employers notify employees when the federal government has requested their employment eligibility information, and ensure employers follow the law and only share employees\u2019 personal data when a subpoena or judicial warrant has been issued.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=6002&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB 6002<\/a> would adopt Flock camera regulations\u00a0that balance public\u00a0safety and\u00a0community\u00a0surveillance concerns.\u00a0The bill would put\u00a0clear rules on\u00a0how their data\u00a0is stored and accessed\u00a0to prevent\u00a0misuse by\u00a0bad actors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=5906&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB 5906<\/a> prohibits immigration enforcement from entering schools, daycare centers, hospitals, and other sensitive locations without a court order, so that people can access essential services without fear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=5892&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB\u00a05892<\/a>\u00a0would protect the state from unlawful federal attempts to access sensitive voter\u00a0information by ensuring the Secretary of State has the authority to protect information like drivers\u2019 license numbers, social security numbers, and full birth dates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=5867&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB 5876<\/a> would address the rising incidences of ICE impersonation by prohibiting individuals who are not law enforcement officers from making, providing or possessing badges or other law enforcement insignia.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=6286&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB 6286<\/a> would strengthen the state Department of Health\u2019s authority to fine the Northwest Detention Center ICE processing center in Tacoma when they are denied access to inspect the facility for health code violations.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=5967&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB 5967<\/a> would ensure Washingtonians have access to the medical services they need based on science and evidence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Additionally, we are in regular contact with the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.atg.wa.gov\/\"> Attorney General<\/a> and his office and in frequent discussions about\u00a0ways\u00a0the Legislature can be helpful in his work.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Save the date<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I hope you will join me and Representatives Nicole Macri and Shaun Scott for a town hall on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Kerry Hall on Capitol Hill (710 E Roy St, Seattle, WA 98102). We will provide an update on key legislation advancing in the Legislature this year and answer your questions.<\/p>\n<p>We are living through incredibly difficult times, but I find hope in the many people in our community who are fighting back peacefully and making their voices heard. I will continue to work with my colleagues to make sure the Legislature is using every possible tool to protect the people of Washington state.<\/p>\n<p>Best wishes,<\/p>\n<p>Jamie<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Jamie Pedersen<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov\">Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear friends and neighbors, Many of you have reached out to ask about what the Legislature is doing to protect the people of Washington, including our immigrant communities, from a hostile and malevolent federal government. I share your shock and outrage at the federal presence in Minnesota as masked agents create chaos, terrorize communities, and kill Americans. I want to start by noting that we were not caught flat-footed.\u00a0 In 2019, the legislature passed the Keep Washington Working Act, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from being used for federal immigration enforcement actions. Earlier today, the Senate passed legislation&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":3165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-news","category-news-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Senate passes ban on ICE wearing masks in Washington - Sen. Jamie Pedersen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/pedersen\/2026\/01\/28\/senate-passes-ban-on-ice-wearing-masks-in-washington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senate passes ban on ICE wearing masks in Washington - Sen. Jamie Pedersen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dear friends and neighbors, Many of you have reached out to ask about what the Legislature is doing to protect the people of Washington, including our immigrant communities, from a hostile and malevolent federal government. I share your shock and outrage at the federal presence in Minnesota as masked agents create chaos, terrorize communities, and kill Americans. I want to start by noting that we were not caught flat-footed.\u00a0 In 2019, the legislature passed the Keep Washington Working Act, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from being used for federal immigration enforcement actions. Earlier today, the Senate passed legislation...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/pedersen\/2026\/01\/28\/senate-passes-ban-on-ice-wearing-masks-in-washington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sen. 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