{"id":2613643,"date":"2026-06-12T18:11:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T22:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-sues-virginia-over-ice-mask-ban\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T18:11:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T22:11:58","slug":"doj-sues-virginia-over-ice-mask-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-sues-virginia-over-ice-mask-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ sues Virginia over ICE mask ban"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-sues-virginia-over-ice-mask-ban%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2613643&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"167\">Justice Department <\/a>on Thursday sued <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"96\">Virginia<\/a>, arguing that the state\u2019s mask ban for federal law enforcement and related identification requirements unconstitutionally interfere with federal officers and criminalize core aspects of federal operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit, which was filed against Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and Fairfax County prosecutor Steve Descano, challenged provisions that prohibit law enforcement from wearing face coverings and require officers to display individual identifiers. DOJ officials say the law cannot be enforced against federal personnel carrying out official duties. The DOJ has also noted that\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ice\/\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a>\u00a0officers wearing face masks could protect the officers from threats.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4605231\/mullin-judicial-staff-helping-illegal-immigrants-escape-ice-custody\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mullin: \u2018Zero tolerance\u2019 for judicial staff who help illegal immigrants escape courthouses<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4605273\/camp-east-montana-texas-ice-facility-federal-report\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Millions of dollars of waste\u2019 at Camp East Montana ICE facility: Federal report<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4604242\/immigration-democrats-defeat-sarah-bedford\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Immigration could deliver Democrats another defeat: Sarah Bedford<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virginia passed the mask ban on May 20, with the measure being bolstered by executive orders preventing ICE arrests on state property and removing requirements for local law enforcement cooperation with ICE officers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLaw enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties,\u201d acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-files-complaint-challenging-virginia-mask-ban-and-identification\">statement<\/a>. \u201cVirginia\u2019s anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. said the state lacks authority over federal operations. \u201cGovernor Spanberger cannot tell federal officers how to do their job,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd she certainly cannot prohibit them from ensuring their own safety in conducting federal law enforcement operations. Our suit today stops those unconstitutional efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the center of the complaint is the supremacy clause, which DOJ attorneys argue has long been interpreted to bar states from regulating federal operations. The filing cites a line from a precedent-setting Supreme Court case, <em>Mayo v. United States<\/em>,<em> <\/em>holding that federal activity is \u201cfree from regulation by any state\u201d and that states may not directly control or discriminate against federal functions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DOJ also pointed to the recent political context, noting that Virginia enacted the law after public criticism of masked federal agents. The complaint references comments by Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abigail-spanberger\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11780\">Abigail Spanberger<\/a> (D-VA) following President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2018s State of the Union address, in which she criticized \u201cpoorly trained federal agents\u201d operating \u201cwith their faces masked from accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The department argues the law effectively converts that criticism into criminal penalties for federal officers performing their duties.<br \/>Virginia is not alone in facing legal challenges over similar policies. DOJ said comparable laws in other states, including New Jersey and California, have also come under scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit is part of what the DOJ describes as a series of Civil Division actions targeting state policies it views as obstructing federal law enforcement operations nationwide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4593162\/mullin-increase-penalty-protesters-dox-ice\/\">Mullin supports increased penalties for protesters who dox ICE officers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recently, Homeland Security Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/markwayne-mullin\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21441\">Markwayne Mullin<\/a> backed efforts in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a> to increase penalties for individuals who publicly disclose ICE officers\u2019 identities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That push followed incidents in which federal officials say officers have been threatened or doxed. In one case cited by federal authorities, a man was arrested after allegedly threatening to assault and kill an ICE officer outside a Newark detention facility, according to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of New Jersey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Justice Department on Thursday sued Virginia, arguing that the state\u2019s mask ban for federal law enforcement and related identification requirements unconstitutionally interfere with federal officers and criminalize core aspects of federal operations. The lawsuit, which was filed against Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and Fairfax County prosecutor Steve Descano, challenged provisions that prohibit law<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2613644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26078469129241.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2613643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26078469129241.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2613643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}