In other cities, expanded immigration enforcement has been followed by Trump sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and Portland, Ore. Though he has cited alleged spikes in crime and violent protests against immigration enforcement operations as justification, with little evidence to show for it, the deployments have all targeted Democrat-led cities and raised criticisms of abuse of power.

Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move part of the “authoritarian playbook” being used by Trump’s administration.

“You send first masked men to the cities that you want to militarize … communities are torn asunder, it creates anxiety and stress, and that manifests into expressions of free speech. And then you use those expressions and those images as the justification to send the guard and suppress free speech, suppress free expression,” he said during a press conference Wednesday.

As CBP-marked vehicles arrived in Oakland on Thursday, hundreds of protesters gathered at the bridge access to Coast Guard Island to block their path, spurring scuffles with law enforcement agents that injured at least two protesters.

Late Thursday night, two people were shot and injured by law enforcement officials after a U-Haul truck attempted to back onto the bridge to the base.

U.S. Coast Guard security personnel stand at the intersection of Dennison Street and Embarcadero in front of Coast Guard Island in Oakland on Oct. 24, 2025, as demonstrators return following a shooting late last night in which security personnel opened fire on a U-Haul near the base. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

A smaller protest reconvened near the island Friday morning, where at least one person was sprayed by pepper balls.

Sanchez said she was unsure how many federal agents did arrive on Coast Guard Island, or whether they had departed.

Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said that she was concerned the federal agents were baiting Oakland, and that the situation remains fluid.

“Oakland is easy to point the finger at because people think we’re a violent city and that we’re lawless — we’re not,” she told reporters Friday. “It is just an easy example for the administration to come after people, specifically people of color, in a democratic city. That’s what I expect. Do I know that? No, that’s what my gut says.”

KQED’s Alex Hall contributed to this report.