President Trump said he has postponed a “surge” of federal agents to San Francisco after the city’s mayor and leading tech CEOs urged him to delay the operation.
More than 100 federal agents were dispatched to the Bay Area on Wednesday, in what appeared to be the latest White House targeting of a Democrat-led city.
Similar crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago provoked a fierce backlash, with clashes between immigration enforcement and protesters prompting the deployment of National Guard troops.
Trump has repeatedly threatened San Francisco, a progressive city that has struggled with crime, disorder and fentanyl deaths in recent years. On Sunday he vowed to “make it great again”.
A demonstration at the Civic Center in San Francisco last weekend
STEPHEN LAM/SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/AP
As local leaders condemned the planned operation, Trump announced on Thursday that it would no longer take place following discussions with Daniel Lurie, the mayor of San Francisco.
“The Federal Government was preparing to ‘surge’ San Francisco, California, on Saturday, but friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge in that the mayor, Daniel Lurie, was making substantial progress,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Lurie, a political novice who took office in January, has won praise for his work in tackling some of the city’s problems, including homelessness and disorder.
Trump said the mayor asked “very nicely” for a delay, which he granted after speaking to Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, and Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce.
The president said that “great people” including Huang and Benioff, “have called saying that the future of San Francisco is great”.
He added: “They want to give it a ‘shot.’ Therefore, we will not surge San Francisco on Saturday. Stay tuned!”
In a statement, Lurie said that the city did not need federal intervention.
“We appreciate that the president understands that we are the global hub for technology, and when San Francisco is strong, our country is strong,” he said. “My team will continue to monitor the situation closely, and our city remains prepared for any scenario.
“I am profoundly grateful to all the San Franciscans who came together over the last several days. Our city leaders have been united behind the goal of public safety. And our values have been on full display — this is the best of our city.”
Trump said he backed down after the mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, center, “asked very nicely”
SCOTT STRAZZANTE/SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/AP
The president’s decision to postpone the surge avoids another potential flashpoint between the federal government and Democratic-controlled cities and states.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, had accused Trump of behaving like a dictator. He threatened to sue the White House before the operation was called off.
“We’re going to be fierce in terms of our response,” Newsom said at a press conference while holding up legal papers. “This is the lawsuit that I will file within a nanosecond of any efforts to send the military to one of America’s great cities.”
San Francisco is a sanctuary city, meaning local law enforcement does not assist federal immigration action.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security had said agents were going to target “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens”.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has condemned Trump’s decision to send federal agents into cities
JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
Critics of DHS have challenged the assertion that only hardened criminals have been targeted in raids elsewhere. They say families have been torn apart, with otherwise law-abiding immigrants snatched off the streets by masked agents.
In Los Angeles, National Guard troops clashed with protesters in June and July following sweeping immigration raids.
The deployment of federal troops to major cities has prompted a flurry of lawsuits. A federal judge ruled that US Marines and National Guard troops sent to southern California had been used illegally. That ruling has since been stayed pending an appeal to a higher court.
Trump and his supporters have long had San Francisco in their sights.
A bastion of American liberalism, the city has vast wealth from the tech industry but also some of the worst rates of homelessness in the country.
About 4,000 people have died of accidental drug overdoses in San Francisco since 2020.
Lurie was elected after promising to address the crisis.
He has been widely viewed as making a strong start in the job — and defusing the situation with Trump will be another feather in his cap.