Overview
- President Trump, speaking at a Cabinet meeting Thursday, again proposed sending federal agents or National Guard units to San Francisco and argued federal authorities can remove people local officials cannot.
- Mayor Daniel Lurie countered that the city is improving, citing about a 30% drop in reported crime, record-low encampments, and expanded downtown ambassador programs as residents and visitors report feeling safer.
- Lurie said he supports focused coordination on drug trafficking and major events, reported no new talks with the administration since October, and expressed confidence in local police to maintain order.
- The push follows an aborted October plan that staged agents at an Alameda base until Trump backed off after a call with Lurie and outreach from Bay Area tech leaders, and there is no sign of a new deployment plan.
- Key claims face headwinds, as a 2025 UCLA–Northwestern study found no link between deportations and lower crime and local advocates reject tying crime to immigration, while coverage ranged from Fox News highlighting praise for Lurie to the Los Angeles Times emphasizing legal limits on past troop use.