“While Trump may be temporarily saying he’s not deploying federal agents to our city, in reality our communities really need assistance and they need this assistance to feel safe.” – Sophia Eva
SAN FRANCISCO – Thousands of residents, workers, and faith leaders filled downtown San Francisco Thursday, rallying under the banner “Free the Bay” despite President Donald Trump’s announcement earlier in the day that he was canceling plans for a federal deployment in the city.
The demonstrations began hours after a noon press conference on the steps of City Hall, where a coalition of faith, labor, and community organizations released a joint statement signed by 150 groups demanding Trump keep federal troops out of the entire Bay Area. Organizers said the protests would go on regardless of the president’s reversal, citing deep distrust of his administration’s track record on immigration and civil rights.
One speaker said, “We have to be careful because we do not trust this administration. Hard to say you’re not coming, after you say you’re coming, then say you’re not coming, doesn’t mean we want to make sure our community is prepared to address the concerns and the issues that come when we have federal troops raiding our streets. We are going to remain vigilant.”
San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Cheyenne Chen, a Chinese American immigrant, drew parallels between current events and past acts of discrimination. “We have a long history of fighting for our rights and our freedom from organizing legal challenges to defend the Chinese Exclusion Act to Wong Kim’s fight for the birthright of citizenship,” Chen said. “Today our community is under attack as history is repeating itself, and we must stand in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Chen added, “Federal agents, you do not belong in front of our schools, our businesses, our churches, and our hospitals. Community organizations, we are standing strong together with resources. We have each other’s back.”
Sophia Eva, serving as emcee, said that while Mayor Daniel Lurie had spoken with Trump earlier in the day and the president had said he would not deploy federal agents, the community’s needs remained urgent. “While Trump may be temporarily saying he’s not deploying federal agents to our city, in reality our communities really need assistance and they need this assistance to feel safe,” she said. “We also need housing. We need healthcare. We need jobs, and we need more federal resources and to restore federal cuts to essential programs such as Medi-Cal, SNAP, and schools—that should be the priority.”
Kim Tavaglione, Executive Director of the San Francisco Labor Council, said that labor leaders were committed to protecting all Bay Area workers, regardless of whether federal troops arrived. “They supposedly are calling off the troops from San Francisco, but, as everyone knows, our workers live in the nine Bay Area counties and beyond,” she said. “Labor is vowing to protect every worker in every county in the Bay Area. An injury to one is an injury to all.”
She added that if the administration “really wants to help the Bay Area, it’s time for them to double down, give us money for our schools, our public transportation, our public sector, our city workers, our county workers. We’re in desperate need of infrastructure. Instead of building a goddamn palace in Washington, D.C., help us build our roads, help us build our infrastructure.”
Alejo, Executive Director of Workers United, said the threats of federal action were “a show to make sure that we’re getting their message to stay silent, stay afraid.” He continued, “As a community, we reject those ideas. We reject that message because we know that the answer to our own safety is when we organize with each other because only we have each other’s back. To those who ICE is targeting, you’re not alone. You have rights. Reach out to your rapid response network, organize at home, organize in your workplace.”
By late afternoon, an estimated 5,000 people gathered at Embarcadero Plaza, carrying banners and chanting in defiance of what they described as the militarization of immigrant communities. Francisco Herrera, Co-Director of Nuevo Sol, said, “Bay Area leaders remain united against ICE and against any federal deployment anywhere in the Bay—whether it comes from the National Guard or the Department of Homeland Security. We won’t desist when our region—our neighborhoods, our schools, our parks, our houses of worship—are under threat of being turned into a militarized training ground.”
District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder told the crowd, “When they send troops into our neighborhoods, they’re not protecting us; they’re punishing us for standing up for justice. Our schools are underfunded, our hospitals are understaffed, and yet Trump wants to spend millions on ICE raids? That’s not leadership, that’s sabotage.”
Fielder later joined District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan and Supervisors Walton, Chen, and Mahmood in announcing legislation to appropriate city funds from San Francisco’s general reserves toward immigrant legal services and the San Francisco Rapid Response Network, which have been underfunded amid renewed federal threats.
Fielder said she has been pushing for these funds since taking office and voted against Mayor Lurie’s budget because it lacked additional resources for immigrant legal defense. The Rapid Response Network verifies immigration enforcement activity in San Francisco and connects immigrants arrested by ICE with legal assistance and support services.
“In a moment when Trump is pledging mass deportations, our San Francisco Rapid Response Line and immigration defense attorneys are operating under extremely limited capacity compared to the massive and unprecedented deportation machine they are now facing,” Fielder said.
She emphasized the critical role of immigration attorneys in protecting due process and keeping families together, saying, “Many of the lawyers are immigrants’ last hope, and they are incredibly overwhelmed, overworked, and burning out rapidly. It’s not sustainable. It is time that the city put its money where its values are.”
As the rally continued into the evening, participants filled the streets with chants, music, and banners proclaiming solidarity with immigrant families. Kim Tavaglione told the crowd, “Every raid, every arrest, every threat is a violation of our humanity. But we know our rights, and we’re teaching our neighbors how to protect them. This is not just about the Bay Area; it’s a national emergency. We will not let them turn our communities into battlegrounds.”
Lara Kiswani, Executive Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, said, “We declare our collective humanity and the way we do it is the way we’re showing up today, linking arm and arm. Immigrants are not alone in being the first line of defense. The first line of defense is all of us, shoulder to shoulder, street by street.”
Reverend Deborah Lee, Co-Executive Director of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, urged attendees to stay active and vocal. “This is no time for silence. It’s no time for complacency. It’s a time for us to speak. It’s a time for us to be active,” she said. “Our faith traditions tell us that the government should be for the good of the people and public finances should not be used to invade and repress communities and put them into fear and hiding.”
As the rally concluded, chants of “Free the Bay!” echoed through downtown San Francisco. Leaders promised continued mobilizations and vigilance as Trump’s immigration crackdown looms over the region.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
Categories: Breaking News Immigration Immigration National Issues State of California Tags: Bay Area Cheyenne Chen Donald Trump federal deployment ICE Raids Immigration Jackie Fielder Mayor Daniel Lurie Protest San Francisco