Live updates: Trump scraps federal push in San Francisco, but protesters dig in

Despite the “surge” of federal troops being called off, a crowd began to gather at Embarcadero Plaza on Thursday evening bearing signs declaring “No Kings” and “No ICE or troops in the Bay.”

As the plaza filled with people, the event kicked off with local singer La Doña and a spiritual ceremony from the Danzantes del Bahia. Inside the plexiglass enclosure of the plaza’s temporary paddle ball court, a few muscular men in short shorts bounced around the astroturf, seemingly oblivious to (or unconcerned by) the goings-on.

“Whose head is spinning from all the news in the last 48 hours?” shouted one speaker. But, she said: “We cannot claim victory yet.”

Protesters were encouraged to “adopt a corner” and look out for ICE activity.

“You should be proud of this,” added labor organizer David Huerta. “You’ve kept ICE out of San Francisco.”

“But they’re still in Memphis, they’re still in D.C.” he reminded the growing crowd. “We need to continue to stand together.”

Some speeches at the 5 p.m. rally mirrored closely those given at a rally earlier at noon, but District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder escalated her language from earlier. “While I’m here, I’ll just say: Fuck Marc Benioff. Fuck Elon Musk. Fuck David Sacks. Any anyone who ever suggested that this was okay.”

Fielder urged attendees to stay vigilant, noting that there was no guarantee that Trump wouldn’t change course and send federal agents into the city any time.

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood condemned the current administration as a “dictatorship” that he compared to the one he lived under in Pakistan as a teenager. Toppling that dictatorship required people in the streets everyday, he said: “When a dictator sees that the people oppose him, he loses his power.”

“So many students didn’t show up in school today,” added Supervisor Chyanne Chen. “We don’t want them in our schools, in our hospitals … San Francisco is a sanctuary city. We will never back down. We will never leave anyone behind.”

Just before 6:30 p.m., organizers prepared the crowd, which now numbered at least a thousand, for a march to the Sansome Street immigration court. Vigils at public libraries tomorrow would continue as planned, they said.

“We didn’t see the invasion that we were worried about,” said Jane, an organizer with Bay Resistance, her voice trembling with emotion as she spoke. “What we did see today, is that the Bay is ready.” And with that, the crowd was on the march.

— Eleni Balakrishnan and Marina Newman, Mission Local 

San Francisco city employees were sent an update on “federal deployment and employee safety protocols” via email on Thursday afternoon.

Employees were reminded that federal law prohibits the City from interfering with federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement. They may not prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from accessing a public area of a city building or transit, said an email reviewed by Mission Local.

At the same time, city and state sanctuary policies prohibit employees from participating in immigration enforcement by giving ICE agents access to non-public buildings or records. Employees must only cooperate if there is a subpoena or warrant issued by a federal court.

They are also not required to show ICE agents personal identification or answer agents’ questions, the email added.

— Abigail Vân Neely, Mission Local

Mayor Daniel Lurie today said that President Trump simply called him — no go-betweens or consigliere required — and told him there would no longer be a deployment of federal troops to San Francisco. 

The president simply dialed the mayor up and talked at him. If they decide to make this into a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, I suggest Lurie be played by this guy.

And, just like that, a daylong crisis and flood-the-zone news cycle across the Bay Area regarding the imminent deployment of border protection agents to the region was quelled. Or not: Oakland mayor Barbara Lee said the president didn’t call her. Lurie and other local leaders are taking the president’s words to mean that the rest of the Bay Area will be spared — but there was no overt pledge regarding that.

Read the full story here.

— Joe Eskenazi, Mission Local

Hours after President Trump withdrew a threat to send a “surge” of federal agents to San Francisco,” Supervisor Connie Chan announced that San Francisco would direct an additional $3.5 million to immigrant legal defense and the Rapid Response Network.”

The legal defense funds lawyers for immigrants who need representation, and the Rapid Response Network provides a 24 hour hotline for verifying ICE raids and connecting detained immigrants to attorneys.

Chan, the chair of the city’s Budget Committee, made the announcement alongside her co-sponsors Supervisors Bilal Mahmood, Chyanne Chen, Jackie Fielder and Shamann Walton.

“Despite this morning’s news, we know federal agents have been in San Francisco already. For months, we’ve seen how those attempting to follow our legal process abiding by the law at immigration centers are detained during routine check-ins,” Mahmood said.

Read the full story here.

— Io Yeh Gilman and Xueer Lu, Mission Local

As reported by the New York Times, President Trump spoke highly of Mayor Daniel Lurie at a White House round table.

“I love what you’re doing,” he said to the mayor. The comment came after a phone call between Trump and Lurie where the president said he would reverse his decision to deploy federal agents in San Francisco, including a planned “surge” in agents on Saturday. It is unclear how surrounding cities in the Bay Area will be affected.

District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder wrote: “I remain concerned that the Mayor’s statement today included that he would ’welcome continued partnerships with the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney,’” in response to a previous announcement by Lurie.

At a press conference on Thursday, Fielder said she has “concerns that any federal agency under Trump is actually taking up immigration enforcement,” in response to Lurie potentially working with Pam Bondi and the FBI.

“We cannot have it both ways. We cannot say, I welcome this, but I don’t welcome that,” District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton added.

 — Mariana Garcia and Io Yeh Gilman, Mission Local

At noon, Mayor Daniel Lurie, city department heads, and supervisors gathered in the mayor’s office to address President Donald Trump’s decision to call off the “surge” of San Francisco.

What exactly that “surge” would look like did not seem to have been defined over the course of Lurie’s conversation with Trump.

Lurie did not give answers to which federal agents would no longer be coming to the city — whether it be the National Guard, the border patrol agents, ICE — or all of them.

Lurie also said that his conversation did not include what will happen to other Bay Area cities.

“I was told the surge was being called off,” Lurie said. “He only spoke about San Francisco. So all I can say is what he told me.”

In addition to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Lurie said he has also spoken with United States Attorney General Pam Bondi about working together to “hold drug traffickers accountable.”

In a Truth Social post, Trump said that he called Lurie after speaking with Marc Benioff, the Salesforce CEO — who on Oct. 9 called for the National Guard to come to San Francisco — and Jensen Huang, the president and CEO of NVIDIA.

Lurie said that he had not asked anyone to make calls on San Francisco’s behalf — “he picked up the phone and called me.”

Lurie affirmed that even with the “surge” called off for now, San Francisco will remain ready.

“I think we as a city should be prepared for any scenario,” Lurie said.

— Io Yeh Gilman and Xueer Lu, Mission Local

Mayor Barbara Lee of Oakland tells Mission Local that the situation is “fluid” and “all we know is what the press is reporting.” She confirms that “I haven’t heard from the president.”

Following a briefing from Lurie’s office, area politicians believe that the area will return for whatever passes as the “status quo.” There is no indication feds will instead raid nearby Bay Area cities. But there is no assurance that it won’t happen.

Meanwhile, Immigration enforcement activity has risen sharply in Oakland, according to Alameda County’s Rapid Response Network (ACILEP). It reported that its call volume increased from an average of 10 calls a day to 50 by 11:30 a.m.

Neither the Asian Law Caucus nor the Rapid Response networks in San Francisco or San Mateo County could confirm whether the cancellation of a federal deployment in San Francisco also included a stand-down of planned immigration operations in the region.

“No one knows for sure right now” whether Trump’s immigration enforcement will escalate across the Bay Area, said Lauren Nguyen of the Asian Law Caucus said.

— Beatriz Johnston, El Tecolote and Joe Eskenazi, Mission Local

Even with the rapidly changing circumstances and Trump’s about-face on deploying federal forces, more than 100 protesters showed up at San Francisco City Hall for a pre-planned rally.

One man, Noah, had come all the way from Sacramento, where he had been protesting daily outside an ICE facility.

He said he wasn’t affiliated with an organization, and it has been just “me myself and I, and a couple of friends that are passionate about human rights.”

“If there was ever a time for us to be unified in San Francisco, it is now,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton, who started off the rally on the steps of City Hall. “We do not trust this administration. To say you’re not coming after you say you’re coming … We want to make sure our community is prepared.”

Rally emcee Sofia Bastida asked those gathered about the purported change in plans for ICE to enter San Francisco: “How are we feeling about that?”

Attendees hissed in response.

Supervisor Jackie Fielder accused tech billionaires like Marc Benioff, Elon Musk, and David Sacks of bringing about the current situation.

“I condemn every tech billionaire who supported this,” Fielder said. “We are here because Benioff of Salesforce put this idea into Trump’s head.”

“We cannot have tunnel vision,” said Olga Miranda, the head of the Local 87 labor union. She urged unity across the Bay Area. “An injury to one, an injury to all.”

As cars and trucks drove past City Hall, drivers honked in solidarity.

Those present were attentive and ready for action. Asked to repeat the rapid response network phone number, most in the crowd appeared to know it by hear and chanted the number in unison. (For those in San Francisco, the number is 415-200-1548.)

Celi Tamayo-Lee of the advocacy group San Francisco Rising assured the crowd that the fight would continue, and that a 5 p.m. mass rally to unite the region was still on.

That, she said, “is where we really show what we are about in the Bay Area.”

— Eleni Balakrishnan, Mission Local

On Wednesday evening, ahead of the planned deployment, activists were prepping for the protests that took place the following day.

About 5,000 people attended an online mobilization call held by Bay Resistance to prepare for the arrival of federal agents in the Bay Area, according to organizers. 

Speakers from labor groups, attorneys, and nonprofits called for peaceful protests, but also action. They gave attendees advice on to interact with federal agents, document detentions, and to inform a rapid response network if they saw immigration enforcement.

Organizers also urged participants to join an adopt-a-block program to observe areas where immigrant day laborers might congregate. Meanwhile, hundreds of questions flooded in from attendees eager to participate. 

Emily Lee of the Bay Rising Alliance, who led the call, said organizers have learned from federal agents’ actions in other cities and that the group is prepared for the coming days.

She called for humor and joy in the coming actions that would start early Thursday morning, with a vigil on the road from the Alameda Coast Guard Island to San Francisco. 

“We are not going to give them the spectacle they want,” she said. 

— Eleni Balakrishnan, Mission Local

Lurie wrote that he received a phone call from President Donald Trump last night, though he waited to release the statement till 9:30 a.m. this morning. What arrangements preceded that call are not known.

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

“My team will continue to monitor the situation closely, and our city remains prepared for any scenario.”

Shortly thereafter, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social saying “we will not surge San Francisco on Saturday.” He attributed this decision to “friends of mine who live in the area,” naming Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. His post ended: “Stay tuned!”

It is unclear if the change affects just the National Guard or also ICE and Customs and Border Patrol operations.

Border patrol agents already have federal authority to operate in any U.S. city, while National Guard troops generally require legal authorization for domestic use, though those limits have weakened under Trump-appointed judges.

The fate of other Bay Area cities was not mentioned. Mission Local‘s message for Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee has not yet been returned.

— Joe Eskenazi, Mission Local

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that after a phone call with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie last night, the federal government “will not surge San Francisco on Saturday.”

The post follows days of uncertainty and online rumors that Trump was planning a mass raid at a Home Depot within 40 miles of San Francisco this weekend.

Trump wrote that “friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge” because Lurie was making “substantial progress” on crime. He added that business leaders, including Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff, had contacted him to express optimism about the city’s recovery.

Still, organizers and advocates are urging caution, noting that Trump’s statement does not necessarily rule out immigration enforcement or other federal activity in the region. They emphasize that people in surrounding cities should stay alert and prepared in case the situation changes.

— Erika Carlos, Tecolote

Over 60 California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear marched in on protesters still amassed outside Coast Guard Island in Oakland, where federal immigration agents began arriving on Thursday morning.

By this time, they were clearing the roads. Using batons, they pushed protestors off the street to make a tunnel for a caravan of vehicles to exit the base.

Two protesters were arrested and walked off with their hands zip-tied behind their backs. One man, who resisted being moved, was grabbed by CHP officers and subdued to the ground with an elbow to the neck.

— Sebastien Bridonneau

A fire truck and two other Alameda Fire Department vehicles arrive at the intersection of Dennison Street and Embarcadero. They’re met with protesters. 

Officers say they’ve arrived to take someone who was injured on the island to the hospital. Soon after, a man who was not involved in the protest is wheeled through the crowd on a stretcher. 

The size of the crowd dwindles, but at 11 a.m. protesters are still circling the intersection. What appears to be pieces of a white vehicle and a flash grenade canister still litter the road, on both sides of the U.S. government property line. 

— Abigail Vân Neely and Mariana Garcia, Mission Local

As the sun rises, the mood shifts from a standoff in the dark to skipping in the streets; literally, there’s a jump rope. Parents have brought their children. The crowd thins out slightly. 

One protester wears a Stewie Griffin mask, another an inflatable chicken suit with a sign that says “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Faith leaders sing “We Shall Overcome” while a clown makes balloon animals. 

— Abigail Vân Neely and Mariana Garcia, Mission Local

The scene is less tense, but even more crowded, with at least 100 people. 

Protesters continue to move back and forth along the crosswalk dividing the road to Coast Guard Island, but their numbers have grown, and the pace has slowed to a shuffle. 

The road is now impassable. There is a line of cars backed up along Embarcadero East.

One protester, Matthew Leber, 50, limps away from the crosswalk. He says he was struck by the driver of a SUV, who refused to immediately back up when the crowd blocked the road. 

“I’m still taking it in. I feel okay. I feel really proud of people standing up here against fascism,” he says. He sits on the curb and props up his leg, which is red. 

Leaders reorganize the crowd to keep people moving around four crosswalks at the intersection of Embarcadero East and Dennison St. Observers with the National Lawyers’ Guild take notes to send to attorneys, if needed. 

— Abigail Vân Neely and Mariana Garcia, Mission Local

Protestors blocked a large white vehicle attempting to drive down the one road onto Coast Guard Island, despite organizers’ instructions to keep walking. 

An officer got between the vehicle and the crowd. Other cars started honking. Protesters were told to stay back from the blue paint designating U.S. government property beyond the crosswalk. 

Two flash grenades were set off by border agents as pickup trucks carrying a handful of federal agents drove through the crowd and across the bridge. 

Protesters who were near the flash grenades, which can cause temporary blindness or deafness, stepped back to pour water over their faces. A faith leader was covered in debris from the smoke cloud the flash grenades emitted. 

U.S. Coast Guard officers formed a line opposite the demonstration.

— Abigail Vân Neely and Mariana Garcia, Mission Local

A couple dozen protesters are standing on either side of the one road leading into Coast Guard Island in Alameda, where federal immigration agents are set to arrive today.

Two U.S. Coast Guard officers are conducting traffic. A white shuttle bus has been let through, along with other cars driven by people who work on the island. There is a checkpoint further down the bridge.

An organizer is reminding protesters to keep moving: if they stand still in the crosswalk across the bridge, the organizer says, it will be considered an “obstruction.” It is still dark. 

The organizer says law enforcement has instructed cars to keep driving as pedestrians continue walking back and forth. They play “Antipatriarcha,” a Spanish protest song by Ana Tijoux, on a speaker, and try to address the Coast Guard officers, who do not engage.

“ICE is on the island,” repeats a man who has been standing in the center of the intersection of Embarcadero East and Dennison St. for at least the last half hour. “We have to say no.” 

The stream of people repeatedly crossing the road grows. One carries a small dog, called Rudy, short for Rutabaga. Rudy was brought to the protest because “he hates ICE,” his owner said. “He loves all his neighbors and he doesn’t want to lose any.”

Faith leaders begin to sing “We Shall Not Be Moved.”

“So much has been done in this administration under the name of God or some twisted version of Christianity,” said Reverend Penny Nixon with the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort. “In the Christian religion it is very clear everyone is our neighbor.”

— Abigail Vân Neely, Mission Local

In the Mission District, many Latino-owned businesses were shuttered. Despite widespread fear, some street vendors continued to sell, and a few stores remained open.

“Since yesterday, there are fewer people out,” said street vendor María V. “They’re very scared.”

María said she’s part of several neighborhood groups keeping watch for any potential presence of federal agents. Some workers who spoke to El Tecolote anonymously said they were required to come into work, but hoped their employers would soon decide to close.

— Erika Carlos, Tecolote

Claudia woke up to news of the arrival of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Coast Guard base in Alameda. “The volunteers are fearful right now, “ she said in Spanish.  She stood outside of La Ofrenda, a community space that offers free groceries to San Francisco residents. Behind her, about four other volunteers unpacked cardboard boxes of food. 

“I feel bad that right now ICE is detaining anyone irrespective of if they have documents or not,” she continued. “They will detain you if you speak Spanish and look Latino or are brown.”

Roberto Eligió Alfaro, executive director of the non-profit Homey S.F., which supports Ofrenda, said that they now serve 200 families, but fear of ICE is keeping some home. Since the start of last month, Alfaro and José Luis Pavón have also helped operate Defensa Del Barrio, a patrol that visits neighbors in the Mission to inform them of their rights if they encounter ICE. They’ve met with about 50 businesses as well as a hundred  families. “We cannot bow down to fear,” said Pavón in Spanish. “That is what Trump wants.”

Over on the 14 Muni, a woman from Daly City said in Spanish, “Truthfully, I’m not fearful about this. I’m OK.” 

Others expressed worry over the news. An elderly man named Terry said he was worried that if President Trump cuts  EBT and other resources he relies on, he and his neighbors could “end up on the streets.”

“If they’re coming to intimidate and toughen us up, I’ve got a problem with that,” Terry said, of CBPs arrival. “I know a lot of people that I haven’t seen lately, and I think they know that ICE is coming and that they’ve gone underground.” He added, “It makes me feel bad; it’s them, but it could be me next.” 

“The world is messed up, period,” added Douglas, another man. “It’s going to take a while to fix it.”

— Sage Ríos Mace, Mission Local

Last night, residents in the Mission District reacted to the planned deployment with emotions ranging from fear to calm.

More are carrying documents to prove citizenship, and at least one thought it was a good idea to send in federal agents. Many were still unaware that the president’s threats to deploy troops had escalated, with agents set to land at the U.S. Coast Guard base in Alameda on Thursday.

Those in the know largely remained calm. 

“I’m good. I’m okay. I have papers, I have my license. I work here every day,” said Luis Ledesma who runs a jewelry stall near 22nd Street. He said he usually carries a copy of his documents with him, though he forgot to bring them today. 

Others also said they are carrying their documents, believing that having proof of their status was the best way to prevent harm when faced with federal immigration agents. That hasn’t always been the case. 

Originally from Nicaragua, Myriai Evarra, 59, and her cousin Chalina Mena, 62, have been carrying their passports and Real IDs with them everywhere for the last year, “just in case.” On Wednesday evening they were engaged in a spirited debate at the 24th Street Mission BART Plaza. 

Evarra argued that federal agents should come to San Francisco to “clean up the drugs.” Mena disagreed. 

When Mena insisted that immigration agents will not be involved in drug-related enforcement, Evarra insisted that “they will at least do something.”

The federal agents are “not going to fix fentanyl or the drugs. That’s an excuse to go after immigrants. I am angry because they are going to get very violent with people,” said Mena. When asked if she was afraid, she said she was more “uncomfortable” than afraid.

Read the full story here.

— Anusha Subramanian, Mission Local

Consulting with attorneys and immigration advocates, Mission Local has compiled a list of know-your-rights tips for people in San Francisco. 

For protesters: 

• If you plan to participate in a protest, have a plan to contact legal assistance, such as the National Lawyers Guild’s S.F. Bay Area chapter.
• You have the right to peacefully assemble and to record law enforcement officers in public spaces.
• If stopped by law enforcement, you have the right to remain silent and don’t have to answer questions about your immigration status.

If you are stopped on the streets:

• You must stay where you are until an officer tells you that you are free to go. 
• You don’t have to unlock your phone for any government officer who does not have a warrant.

For immigrants and their families: 

• When encountering law enforcement, you have the right to remain silent and are advised to refuse to answer questions about your birthplace, immigration status, or how you entered the country. 
• You have the right to refuse a search, and to prevent immigration enforcement agents from entering your home or workplace without a valid warrant signed by a judge. 
• You have the right to speak with a lawyer first and ask for interpretation services. Do not sign any document before talking to an attorney. 
• Keep the red card with you to assert your rights under the U.S. Constitution. These cards can also be used in various ways, including being slipped under your front door or being given directly to immigration enforcement offices to declare your rights to remain silent. 
• Save the number 415-200-1548 on your phone. This is the San Francisco Rapid Response network’s 24-hour hotline that connects detained immigrants and their families with legal aid and support. 
• Fill out an emergency preparedness plan in case you are arrested, such as the one offered by the San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network. Make sure both you and your family member have your A-Number, full name, date of birth and country of origin. Make copies of your passport and immigration documents and ensure your family can access them. 
• Carry evidence that you have been in the United States for longer than two years to reduce the risk of being placed in a deportation process without the chance to argue your case. 

Read the full story here.

—Yujie Zhou, Mission Local