Federal Judge Blocks Virginia's ICE Mask Ban Hours Before It Was Set to Take Effect

U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne issued a preliminary injunction on June 30, 2026 blocking Virginia's SB 352 and HB 1482 — which prohibited any law enforcement officer, including federal ICE agents, from wearing facial coverings while carrying out official duties in the Commonwealth and required visible name badges — hours before the law was set to take effect July 1. Governor Abigail Spanberger had signed SB 352 on May 20 alongside a separate executive order further restricting ICE activity in Virginia. Judge Payne found the Justice Department's lawsuit 'likely to succeed' on the merits that the law violated the intergovernmental immunity doctrine and Supremacy Clause by regulating how federal agents enforce federal immigration law, and cited evidence that unmasking could expose federal agents to 'real risk of physical harm.' The injunction remains in place pending resolution of the underlying DOJ suit, following a similar pattern to federal court rulings blocking California's SB 627 mask ban against federal agents earlier in 2026.