Maine legislators won’t take up a Portland lawmaker’s bill to prohibit federal immigration officers from wearing identity-concealing masks during interactions with the public.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Grayson Lookner, was rejected 6-3 by legislative leaders during a meeting Thursday, meaning it won’t advance to a public hearing, work session or consideration by the full Legislature in the upcoming session that starts in January.

“The purpose of the short session is to address emergency issues, and the appearance of masked, unaccountable federal agents sowing fear in our communities is an emergency,” Lookner said in a written statement. “By rejecting this bill, legislative leadership has missed a critical opportunity for Maine to take a stand for transparency and the rule of law, and to make clear that we will not tolerate anonymous, unaccountable policing in our state.”

The bill was proposed in response to recent incidents involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that have prompted concern, including the September arrest of a parent outside the Gerald E. Talbot Community School in Portland, Lookner told legislative leaders during Thursday’s meeting.

Immigration enforcement practices have come under scrutiny nationwide in recent months as the Trump administration carries out an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration and has ramped up arrests and deportations.

Similar legislation has been introduced in other states, and a federal lawsuit has been filed over the mask issue in California, which became the first state in the nation to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September.

Lookner said the arrest of the parent in Portland by agents whom school officials said refused to identify themselves sent shock and fear through the community.

“This bill … is a direct response to a threat against our communities and our values,” he said. “The sight of masked, anonymous agents operating in our streets is unacceptable. It’s the action of a secret police, not a free society.”

School officials in Portland said agents in that case wore vests marked “police” but were in unmarked vehicles and refused to identify themselves when approached by an administrator. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security accused the city of not cooperating with them, thus forcing them to arrest the parent, who was facing a domestic violence charge, outside the school.

While Lookner’s bill had not yet been drafted into formal legislation, he said it would have targeted masks for concealment, not protective equipment “used for legitimate safety purposes.”

Legislative leaders rejected the proposal during a meeting Thursday in which they heard appeals from dozens of lawmakers whose bills for the upcoming session had not been approved. The shorter second regular session of the Legislature, which is scheduled to start Jan. 7, is limited under the Maine Constitution to budget matters, emergency legislation and certain other bills, such as those proposed by the governor or via a citizens’ initiative.

The Legislative Council did not discuss Lookner’s proposal before the vote. Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick; House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford; Senate Majority Leader Teresa Pierce, D-Falmouth; Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle; Assistant Senate Minority Leader Matthew Harrington, R-Sanford; and Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith, R-Palermo, all voted against accepting the proposal.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jill Duson, D-Portland; House Majority Leader Matt Moonen, D-Portland; and Assistant House Majority Leader Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, voted in favor of accepting it.

In a written statement Thursday night, Daughtry said it is important for the state to be able to offer protections for people who feel unsafe or targeted by the Trump administration’s actions on immigration and noted that lawmakers last year passed LD 1971, a bill to limit local law enforcement’s ability to work with federal immigration authorities.

The bill is being held by Gov. Janet Mills, who will have the option to veto it or allow it to become law without her signature when lawmakers come back into session.

But Daughtry also noted potential legal concerns with Lookner’s proposal and said states are limited in their ability to regulate the actions of federal agencies like ICE.

“It’s deeply infuriating that Congress has intentionally failed to create these types of protections, which makes it all the more important for the Legislature to act with real, actionable laws that hold up in court — because our communities in Maine cannot be given false hope,” Daughtry said. “My commitment remains to continuing to fight for strong protections so everyone in Maine feels safe, respected, and protected.”