The deployment of federal officers to San Francisco is being called off, according to a statement from the mayor’s office and a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump.
Mayor Daniel Lurie said Trump called him last night to discuss the coming crackdown by federal law enforcement. During that call, the mayor said he touted the city’s improving prospects.
“I told him the same thing I told our residents: San Francisco is on the rise. Visitors are coming back, buildings are getting leased and purchased, and workers are coming back to the office,” the mayor said in his statement.
Lurie told Trump that while he welcomed increasing cooperation with the federal agencies on issues such as drug enforcement, a major militarized immigration enforcement, or deployment of the National Guard would hinder the city’s recovery.
“In that conversation, the president told me clearly that he was calling off any plans for a federal deployment in San Francisco,” Lurie said in a statement. “Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reaffirmed that direction in our conversation this morning.”
A group of federal law enforcement officers had been ordered to use a Coast Guard base in the East Bay as a “place of operations” for Trump’s long-threatened crackdown on San Francisco.
In a Truth Social post Thursday morning, Trump confirmed that the plan to “‘surge’ San Francisco” with federal officers is being put on hold after a call with Lurie.
“I told him I think he is making a mistake, because we can do it much faster, and remove the criminals that the Law does not permit him to remove,” the post said. “I told him, ‘It’s an easier process if we do it, faster, stronger, and safer but, let’s see how you do?’”
Trump specifically highlighted “great people like Jensen Huang, Marc Benioff, and others,” referring to the CEOs of Salesforce and Nvidia, who have recently made overtures to the White House.
Trump ended his social media post on a cheerily ominous note: Stay tuned!
Sources say the mayors of Oakland and San Jose did not receive a call from the Trump Administration. But San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan applauded the White House, Lurie, Benioff, and Huang on X (opens in new tab).
“The White House made the right decision — our region is on the rise, Mahan’s post said. “Here in San José, we’re the safest big city in the nation because of the trust built between our police officers and our residents.”
Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-San Jose) cautioned that it was unclear if the president was completely pulling back from the Bay Area.
“It is still not clear if Trump’s intention is to back off from engaging in aggressive federal enforcement in the entire region, or merely in San Francisco,” Liccardo told The Standard.
In a press conference about the halted operation, Lurie said he’s spoken to Attorney General Pam Bondi about how to collaborate on tamping down the city’s illicit drug trade. Lurie previously said he was in favor of stronger coordination” between the SFPD and federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and DEA on the issue.
For months, Lurie has taken a more cautious approach to discussing federal issues and Trump, and has not yet said the president’s name in public. Lurie demurred when asked whether that strategy had helped fend off a federal intervention.
”That’s for you to talk about,” Lurie told a Standard reporter.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi praised Lurie in a statement, highlighting his “exceptional leadership in his steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of San Franciscans.”
“In his handling of a potential federal deployment in our city that resulted in the President calling off the operation, Mayor Lurie has underscored that public safety must be driven by local priorities, respectful of our values and communities,” Pelosi said.
A spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom expressed relief that Trump changed course.
“Trump has finally, for once, listened to reason – and heard what we have been saying from the beginning,” Diana Crofts-Pelayo said. “The Bay Area is a shining example of what makes California so special, and any attempt to erode our progress would damage the work we’ve done.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the single road in Oakland leading to the island base on Thursday morning.
The demonstration briefly turned violent as federal agents used what protesters said were explosives and projectiles to clear people from the causeway connecting to Coast Guard Island in the Oakland estuary.
Supervisor Jackie Fielder, whose Mission District was expected to be the epicenter of Trump’s federal deployment, remained wary of Thursday morning’s news and criticized Lurie’s willingness to work with other federal agencies.
“I asked the Mayor last night to stop saying we welcome FBI, ATF, DEA, etc., because under Trump, they’ve been reassigned to immigration enforcement,” said Fielder in a text message. “Trump has said he will come after criminals, but he’s come after law-abiding people in other cities, regardless of citizenship status. I remain on alert for any federal forces in my district.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.