San Francisco mayor says Trump has called off federal mobilization plans

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said Thursday that President Donald Trump had called off plans to deploy federal agents to his city for immigration enforcement.

Media reports stated over 100 Customs and Border Protection agents would arrive this week at a U.S. Coast Guard base in the Bay Area as part of a massive immigration enforcement effort.

The anticipated action by the federal government highlights tension between the deep blue Golden State and the Trump administration, which has targeted Democratic strongholds as it pushes its immigration policies.

Lurie said he told Trump in a Wednesday phone call that San Francisco welcomes partnerships with federal authorities. However, militarized immigration enforcement would hurt the city’s recovery efforts.

“In that conversation, the president told me clearly that he was calling off any plans for a federal deployment in San Francisco,” Lurie said Thursday. “Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reaffirmed that direction in our conversation this morning.”

In a Thursday morning press conference, Lurie added that he also spoke with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who echoed the federal government’s willingness to partner with local agencies on battling fentanyl.

The city is coming back, Lurie said. Visitors are returning, people are leasing and buying buildings, and workers are again going to offices.

Crime has dropped 30% citywide, Lurie added, with homicides falling to 70-year lows. Additionally, there are fewer homeless encampments on the streets.

“We appreciate that the president understands that we are the global hub for technology, and when San Francisco is strong, our country is strong,” Lurie said.

Trump had indicated for weeks that San Francisco was on his list for potential immigration enforcement. The president had said he could send National Guard troops, arguing that San Franciscans wanted the military in their city.

Protesters gathered Thursday outside the Coast Guard base in nearby Alameda where federal authorities were stationed. A few hundred people held signs and sang, opposing the immigration enforcement action.

Asked about the possibility of federal action in other parts of the Bay Area, Lurie repeated that Trump told him he’d stop the planned enforcement surge.

“And that’s all I can say,” Lurie added. “I was told the surge was called off.”

The California Public Defenders Association denounced the deployment, saying local governments gave no authorization for federal authorities to enter their neighborhoods and that their communities opposed the move. The group called the enforcement action an escalation of the federal government’s criminalization of immigrants, people of color, and people exercising their constitutional rights.

“When federal agents roam our neighborhoods under the guise of enforcement, the very notion of community safety collapses,” said Tracie Olson, Yolo County’s chief public defender and the association’s board president, in a statement. “Militarized patrols in our streets and throughout our communities are unacceptable.”

California has long been a target for Trump. Governor Gavin Newsom has pushed back against the president since Trump took office in January, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta filing suits against the federal government over moves ranging from deploying the National Guard to the release of personal information.

Tempers flared over Newsom’s signature on a bill that will prohibit federal law enforcement agents from wearing masks while on the job, with some exceptions. Democrats have likened masked officers to a police state while Republicans have argued that some people will dox — reveal personal details — agents they can identify.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District Bill Essayli, formerly a state Assembly member, has said the new law won’t apply to federal agents.

Noem on Wednesday posted on X that assaults of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have increased by 1,000%. She pointed to a “master ICE tracker” she said would share information about federal agents, adding people who dox law enforcement would face prosecution.

The fight between Newsom and Trump has expanded into the 2026 midterm elections as well.

Newsom and Trump have clashed over the mid-decade redrawing of congressional districts — a political fight that started in Texas and has since spilled into other states.

Newsom has pointed to Trump’s request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to redraw that state’s districts to give Republicans a five-seat advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives. That led Golden State Democrats to push through legislation calling for a Nov. 4 vote on redrawing California’s congressional districts, which would favor Democrats.