Bay Space leaders reacted with dismay and defiance Wednesday to the specter of an intensified immigration crackdown involving scores of federal brokers that might start as early as this week, following by way of on President Donald Trump’s current threats to focus on San Francisco.
Greater than 100 federal brokers — together with some from U.S. Customs and Border Safety — have been anticipated to reach Thursday at Coast Guard Island, within the estuary between Alameda and Oakland, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing an nameless supply.
An announcement from the Division of Homeland Safety didn’t affirm the reported inflow of federal brokers, saying solely that the company “is targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens — including murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists — in cities such as Portland, Chicago, Memphis and San Francisco. As it does every day, DHS law enforcement will enforce the laws of our nation.”
“The difference is, I think they want us in San Francisco,” Trump mentioned. “San Francisco was truly one of the great cities of the world, and then 15 years ago, it went wrong. It went woke.”
There have been no indications that Nationwide Guard troops could be amongst these staging this week on Coast Guard Island, The New York Instances reported.
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff mentioned in a press release that “Donald Trump’s deployment of federal agents to San Francisco will not make the city safer or improve the quality of life for residents. It will only serve to inflame tensions, which is tragically what the president seeks.”
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee added in her personal assertion that she was “actively monitoring the situation.” Whereas Oakland “remains a proud sanctuary city committed to standing with our immigrant families,” she added that “real public safety comes from Oakland-based solutions, not federal military occupation.”
Simply this week, San Jose and Santa Clara County leaders introduced plans to institute “ICE-free zones” on county or city-owned property mirrored after an analogous initiative in Chicago. Already, the county — the place greater than 40% of residents are foreign-born and one in 5 immigrants is undocumented — has invested greater than $8 million in neighborhood organizations that present authorized companies to immigrants. It sued the Trump administration over the legality of his insurance policies round “sanctuary” jurisdictions and birthright citizenship.
The county has additionally develop into the most important funder of the South Bay’s Fast Response Community, certainly one of many organizations within the Bay Space and statewide that function hotlines for residents to report ICE sightings and to acquire authorized assist.
Deputy County Government David Campos mentioned the Trump administration desires to instill worry in the neighborhood.
“What we’re seeing is not only is there no compliance with those rules, but they’re targeting people including American citizens who have been unlawfully detained,” he mentioned. “We have a federal agency that is not following the law.”
Autos navigate previous barricades on the entrance to Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
Till this week, Trump’s immigration crackdown within the Bay Space paled compared to his campaigns in different cities, the place brokers have snatched folks from worksites, House Depot parking tons and their neighborhood — at instances no matter their citizenship standing.
Regionally, brokers have detained folks throughout otherwise-routine check-ins at ICE’s Bay Space places of work, or throughout asylum hearings at immigration courthouses in Harmony and San Francisco. In August, brokers raided a house in East Oakland and eliminated seven folks, together with a youngster with Down syndrome. That very same month in East Palo Alto, a 47-year-old lady from Mexico was hospitalized after passing out whereas brokers tried to handcuff her.
The looming swell of federal brokers might sign a brand new part in that marketing campaign.
Advocates and nonprofits offering free attorneys to undocumented immigrants scrambled Wednesday to warn their purchasers of the potential immigration sweeps and to induce them to keep away from regular gathering areas. Fast response networks “are prepared to respond from a place of power, not panic,” mentioned Milli Atkinson, director of the San Francisco Bar Affiliation’s Immigrant Authorized Protection Program.
“We want to do what we can to protect people — if people can stay inside, I think that’s the best thing they can do,” mentioned Ellen Dumesnil, govt director of the Immigration Institute of the Bay Space. “This administration’s goal is to terrorize, and I think they’re doing a good job of it.”
Hours after phrase emerged of the federal buildup, a number of Oaklanders pulled as much as the bridge off Embarcadero and Dennison Road resulting in Coast Guard Island, craning their necks to see the buildup for themselves. Earlier that morning, safety officers on the island erected boundaries to sluggish site visitors on the bridge to and from the set up.
Amongst these trying on was Jesus Coba, who arrived with a number of fellow members of the nonprofit Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice. He assailed Trump for “terrorizing our communities” by “kidnapping and disappearing” folks throughout the nation.
“People shouldn’t feel afraid to drop their kids off at school, our people shouldn’t feel afraid to go to work,” Coba mentioned. “This is an ugly time in our history, here in the Bay Area.”
In a press release, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, slammed the reported inflow as “an appalling abuse of law enforcement power” and warned federal brokers might face arrest.
“It is important to note that California law protects communities and prevents federal agents from taking certain actions here that we have witnessed in other states,” the lawmakers mentioned. “While the President may enjoy absolute immunity curtesy (sic) of his rouge Supreme Court, those who operate under his orders do not.”
“Our state and local authorities may arrest federal agents if they break California law – and if they are convicted, the President cannot pardon them,” the lawmakers mentioned.
Employees author Jason Inexperienced contributed to this report.
Initially Printed: October 22, 2025 at 3:57 PM PDT
