San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is vowing to take President Donald Trump to court if he makes good on his threat to send National Guard troops to the city.
Chiu made the warning on Monday as San Francisco joined a coalition of local governments urging the U.S. Supreme Court to block Trump’s controversial deployment of federal troops to Chicago.
“Needlessly and haphazardly deploying the military to American cities makes us all less safe,” Chiu said in a statement. “If President Trump makes good on his ridiculous threats to send the military to San Francisco, our city is prepared to take legal action to defend ourselves.”
San Francisco officials have argued that the city is seeing near record-low rates of homicides and car break-ins, and that local law enforcement is fully capable of maintaining public safety. The city joined more than 100 local officials nationwide in filing an amicus legal brief asserting that Trump’s use of the military for domestic law enforcement violates constitutional limits.
The prospect of federal forces in San Francisco has distressed elected officials in the city and state. Mayor Daniel Lurie rejected the idea of using National Guard soldiers to combat drug dealing. However, he said he was open to cooperation and support from the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the U.S. attorney’s office.
“I am deeply grateful to the members of our military for their service to our country, but the National Guard does not have the authority to arrest drug dealers — and sending them to San Francisco will do nothing to get fentanyl off the streets or make our city safer,” Lurie said on Monday.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she would consider bringing charges against troops for excessive force or other violations.
“If I believe, and have conviction, that we can meet our burden and charges are appropriate, that I won’t hesitate to do so,” she told Politico (opens in new tab).
Gov. Gavin Newsom has said Trump’s use of the National Guard in American cities is illegal.
“Our message to the courts is clear — Trump is putting our members of the military on the front lines of a completely unlawful activation against American communities,” Newsom said.
Like Chiu, California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined the Supreme Court case regarding federal troops in Chicago and, on Monday, also said he would follow suit if Trump sends soldiers to San Francisco.
“If [Trump] deploys National Guard to San Francisco, we will be in court within hours, if not minutes,” Bonta said (opens in new tab).