A rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations escalated into a riot Sunday evening as masked demonstrators threw hammers and pieces of broken metal barricades at the windows and doors of ICE’s office and other local businesses on Sansome Street.
About 60 people were arrested, including minors, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Officers say they also recovered a gun at the scene.
At first it seemed like another anti-Trump rally, only with more people and more press after President Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier in the day. But within an hour after convening around 6 p.m., protesters began hurling eggs and paintballs at the concrete walls of the ICE building. They also spray-painted the walls, writing “Fuck ICE.”
At one point, a passerby tried to take spray paint from a protester’s hands before he was jumped by demonstrators. That caught the attention of the SFPD.
Shortly after, officers in riot gear began exiting vans north of the protest. Rally-goers took notice and yelled that they were “pigs” and “should go home.” Many began sharing the idea of moving north to confront the officers and form a line in front of where they were standing.
It took a few minutes to organize everyone, but eventually they moved to within inches of the officers in helmets and visors. The officers gripped their batons tighter.
After several minutes of yelling back and forth, someone threw a beer bottle in their direction. When the officers stepped back, protesters stepped forward. Chants included: “IOF, KKK, SFPD they’re all the same” and “Oink Oink Piggy Piggy We Will Make Your Lives Shitty.” Graffiti on the walls of the ICE building suggested that killing police was a way to save lives.
Then, the rally on Sansome dispersed. It headed south, all the way to Market Street. Along the way, several masked protesters — most wearing keffiyehs — threw broken metal barricades at the ICE office, along with a nearby Chase Bank and other businesses. Security guards inside stood straight as a hammer crashed through the glass.
Later in the evening, The Standard spotted a stalled Waymo at Battery and Pine streets, “fuck ICE” and other graffiti was seen on the robotaxi.
The SFPD said officers were on hand to observe the protest when things took a dramatic turn about an hour into the demonstration.
“Individuals in the group became violent and began to commit crimes ranging from assault to felony vandalism and causing property damage,” police said in an emailed statement late Sunday.
The SFPD declared an unlawful assembly and began trying to disperse the crowd. Two officers were hurt with non-life-threatening injuries — one of whom was transported to the hospital.
“While many left the scene, several individuals remained and continued engaging in illegal activity,” SFPD officials said.
Police said the remaining group headed toward Market and Kearny streets, where some of them began to vandalize buildings and an SFPD patrol vehicle, while others splintered off and continued to deface other property.
Another small group continued on to Montgomery Street and refused to leave the area, police said. The SFPD issued still more dispersal orders.
Then, dozens of arrests ensued.
“Individuals are always free to exercise their First Amendment rights in San Francisco but violence — especially against SFPD officers — will never be tolerated,” the police department said.
Mayor Daniel Lurie issued a joint statement with police, saying he was working with law enforcement to keep the city safe. City crews are working to clean up the damage, get Muni back to full service, and prepare for what comes next, he added.
My first priority as mayor is, and has always been, the safety of everyone who lives or works in San Francisco. I have been coordinating with local law enforcement and city departments throughout the weekend to keep everyone safe during this evening’s protest, and I am with our… https://t.co/tDNeuZsouz
— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) June 9, 2025
“As I have always said, efforts to target members of our immigrant community who contribute to our city, support our economy, and raise their families here make our city less safe,” the statement went on to say. “We will continue San Francisco’s decades-long practice of prioritizing everyone’s safety by supporting community organizations, investing in immigrant legal services, and continuing to build trust with local law enforcement.”
ICE and Waymo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.