Federal officers exercising certain federal immigration authority prohibition wearing face coverings

A bill for an act

relating to public safety; prohibiting federal officers exercising certain federal

immigration authority from wearing face coverings; proposing coding for new law

in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 626.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

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[626.78] IMMIGRATION LAW ENFORCEMENT; FACE COVERINGS.

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(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given:

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(1) "covered immigration officer" means a person who is authorized to perform

immigration enforcement functions and who is an officer or employee of United States

Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and

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(2) "public immigration enforcement function" means any activity that involves the

direct exercise of federal immigration authority through public facing operations, including

but not limited to patrol, stops, arrests, searches, interviews to determine immigration status,

raids, checkpoint inspections, and service of judicial or administrative warrants. Public

immigration enforcement function does not include covert, nonpublic-facing operations or

nonenforcement activities.

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(b) A covered immigration officer must not wear a nonmedical face covering, including

a mask, hood, or balaclava, that impairs the visibility, hides, conceals, or covers the officer's

face while carrying out a public immigration enforcement function unless the face covering

is necessary to guard against hazardous environmental conditions.

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(c) A covered immigration officer who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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