Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., made an urgent appeal for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to reinstate a ban on face masks, pointing to “sympathizers” of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) while doing so.

Hochul in June considered a mask ban in all subways after a rash of antisemitic incidents. Masking, the Democrat said at the time, had become a way for aggressors to act without being held responsible for their actions.

“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said. “My team is working on a solution, but on a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”

Torres called on the governor Tuesday to reinstate the ban, comparing those who advocate against such a measure to white supremacists.

“Contrary to false narratives, mask bans have a long history of defending civil rights rather than endangering them,” he wrote. “In the early 20th century, scores of states passed anti-masking legislation in order to unmask the KKK. No one at the time — except the KKK and its sympathizers — would have said that the KKK had a First Amendment Right to mask itself.”

New York, the representative continued, must ensure its residents feel safe and are protected.

“You are fundamentally failing on both fronts,” Torres said to Hochul.

He also cited hate crime statistics showing most New Yorkers are concerned about being victims of such an attack.

“The feeling of insecurity under your leadership of New York cuts across every category of color and creed, race and religion,” Torres wrote.

“Masking easily enables criminals to harass, intimidate, and commit violence against innocent New Yorkers — all while remaining anonymous and evading detection by law enforcement,” he said. “The architects of the mask bans against the KKK understood a simple truth that that you have failed to grasp with the fierce urgency of now: that hate and harassment thrives on anonymity. Antisemitism thrives on anonymity.”

A representative of Hochul’s office said Thursday the governor is already working to prevent hate crimes.

“In the City Council, Ritchie Torres supported the 2019 bail reform package that eliminated cash bail for hate crimes — but Governor Hochul fixed the bail laws so hate crimes are finally bail-eligible and expanded hate crime laws to prosecute more offenses,” the spokesperson said via email.

Torres this month also penned a scathing op-ed in the New York Post demanding Hochul do more to protect residents.

“Governing is not about waiting years for more tragedies to happen,” he wrote. “It’s about leadership, which is nowhere to be found in New York state.”

Torres said in November he is open to running to unseat Hochul. Hochul has already said she intends to run for reelection in 2026.

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