The Justice Department is asking a federal court to block two Virginia laws, set to take effect July 1, that would bar federal officers from wearing face coverings on duty, require them to display individual identifiers, and sharply curtail local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The complaint, filed Thursday in federal court, names the Commonwealth of Virginia, Democrat Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s attorney Steve Descano as defendants, and casts the measures as an unconstitutional state effort to dictate how federal agents do their jobs.

At issue are Virginia Code Sections 19.2-83.6:1 and 15.2-1726.1, enacted this year by the Democratic-led legislature and signed by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, also a Democrat.

The mask provision exposes federal officers who cover their faces during enforcement operations to a Class 1 misdemeanor under state law.

The second law unwinds the 287(g) partnerships that let Virginia sheriffs and police help ICE identify and detain immigrants in local jails, and blocks new ones from being signed.

The Justice Department argues both provisions run headlong into the Supremacy Clause, and that the contract restrictions also violate the Contracts Clause by voiding existing agreements.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the suit as a response to a surge of threats and doxing aimed at federal officers.

“Law 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,” Blanche said.

“Virginia’s anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand.”

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward took direct aim at the governor: “Gov. Spanberger cannot tell federal officers how to do their job. And she certainly cannot prohibit them from ensuring their own safety in conducting federal law enforcement operations.”

Spanberger has tied the laws to Trump administration immigration operations that drew national attention earlier this year, arguing the mask measure restores accountability.

“Law enforcement officers wearing masks on American streets undercut basic expectations of accountability, sow fear and confusion, and erode the public trust,” she said after signing the bill.

The Washington Examiner reported the complaint draws on Spanberger’s own response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, in which she criticized “poorly trained federal agents” operating “with their faces masked from accountability,” casting the laws as the state translating that critique into criminal penalties.

Jones, the state’s top legal officer, signaled Virginia will defend the statutes.

“We remain steadfast in our mission to protect Virginians’ right to safe communities and transparent enforcement of the law,” he said, adding his office is reviewing the complaint.

The immediate question for the court is whether to halt enforcement before July 1, when officers operating in Virginia would otherwise face the risk of state prosecution for shielding their identities.

Thursday’s filing is the latest in a string of Civil Division suits challenging state laws, including in New Jersey and California, that the department says obstruct federal enforcement.