California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on Wednesday night that he will sue the Trump administration if it sends federal immigration agents or troops into San Francisco, escalating a fresh clash over the president's deployments to U.S. cities.
Newsom Vows Immediate Lawsuit Over Troop Deployment
“Send troops to San Francisco and we will sue you, @realDonaldTrump,” Newsom wrote on X, posting a video from a Capitol press conference where he vowed to challenge any federal move in court.
"We're going to be fierce, we're going to be focused in terms of our response," Newsom said in the video as he raised a stack of papers before stating, "Quite literally, this is the lawsuit that I will file within a nanosecond of any effort to send the military to one of America's great cities, San Francisco."
Report Cites 100 Federal Agents Bound For San Francisco
Newsom's warning followed a report by the San Francisco Chronicle that the administration has dispatched about 100 personnel, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents staging through Coast Guard Base Alameda, with arrivals expected this week. The local outlet said the deployment would target immigration and public-safety operations in and around the city.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said he intended to send federal forces to San Francisco. "We're going to San Francisco and we'll make it great. It'll be great again," he told Fox News in an interview that aired on Sunday.
Democrats Push Back As More Legal Battles Loom
Democrats in California quickly pushed back. "Donald Trump's deployment of federal agents to San Francisco will not make the city safer or improve the quality of life for residents," Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote on X, urging peaceful protest and cooperation with local leaders rather than federal confrontation.
Mayor Daniel Lurie (D) said last week the city remains safe and prepared to handle public safety locally. "This is a safe American city … We got this in San Francisco," he told the Associated Press last week. On Wednesday, Lurie, as per a KQED report, directed local law enforcement to support immigrant communities, protect peaceful demonstrators and avoid assisting with civil immigration enforcement in line with the city's sanctuary policy.
The looming fight comes amid broader legal battles over the administration's National Guard and federal deployments to other cities. State and local officials in Oregon and Illinois have challenged similar moves in court and even lost in the case of the former, while the White House says federal personnel are needed to protect facilities and enforce federal law.
Read Next:
Photo Courtesy: Sheila Fitzgerald on Shutterstock.com
