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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 8: ICE officers and national guards confront with protesters outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, California on June 8, 2025 amid protests over immigration raids. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said he is prepared to take President Donald Trump to court if he follows through with repeated threats to send the National Guard into the city.
Chiu on Monday joined with a coalition of local elected officials, cities and counties across the country to call on the United States Supreme Court to block Trump and his administration “from using the military for domestic law enforcement” in areas such as Chicago.
“We urge the Court to uphold the bedrock legal principle that domestic law enforcement is not the military’s job,” Chiu said. “San Francisco has seen historic drops in crime, and our local law enforcement are more than capable of keeping our city safe while upholding First Amendment rights.”
In an interview on the FOX News show “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump spoke about his deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago, and suggested that San Francisco might be next. The president added he may invoke the Insurrection Act to do it.
“Needlessly and haphazardly deploying the military to American cities makes us all less safe,” Chiu said. “These deployments inflame tensions, undermine local law enforcement, and harm local economies. We are joining local jurisdictions across the country to defend the rule of law and our right to peace and safety.”
Big picture view:
San Francisco officials have almost universally condemned the threats to send troops into the city, with Daniel Lurie saying – with the help of local law enforcement, community leaders, and the appropriate federal law enforcement partners – the city has seen significant developments in public safety.
“As a result, violent crime has fallen to levels not seen since the 1950s, tent encampments are at record lows, and for the first time in years, San Franciscans believe our city is moving in the right direction,” Lurie said.
Lurie also acknowledged there is still work to be done in San Francisco, but added that the federal government needs to offer specific and meaningful support.
“To continue getting fentanyl off the street, we would welcome stronger coordination with the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Attorney to execute targeted operations, arrest drug dealers, and disrupt drug markets and multinational cartels,” Lurie said.