The Trump administration is intensifying its campaign against sanctuary cities, with San Francisco, California, now a focal point for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The announcement was made on October 20, 2025, during a press conference in Sarasota, Florida.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed the decision at the event, stating, “We continue to have targeted operations in many cities, but also very focused on those where challenges remain, such as Portland, Chicago, Memphis, and now San Francisco at the direction of the president.” President Donald J. Trump weighed in during an interview, declaring, “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 Democrat who has opposed Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, criticized the move on X, saying, “Nobody wants you here. You will ruin one of America’s greatest cities.” San Francisco established its sanctuary status in 1989 through the “City and County of Refuge” Ordinance, which prohibits local police from aiding ICE in cases involving undocumented immigrants.
Federal officers have faced resistance in Democrat-run cities like Portland, Chicago, and Los Angeles, with anti-ICE protests and riots reported. Trump has deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines in response to such conflicts, though legal challenges by Democratic leaders have sometimes delayed operations.
