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SAN FRANCISCO – The ACLU of Northern California today condemned President Trump’s inflammatory surge of federal immigration agents to the Bay Area and his threat to send the National Guard to San Francisco.
“This is a flagrant abuse of power intended to instill fear, target his political opponents, and silence anyone who does not agree with him,” said Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU. “The Trump administration’s federal deployment of ICE, Border Patrol, and National Guard troops into our local communities threatens civil rights and chills dissent. This is especially true for immigrants, people of color, protesters, and other targeted groups.”
Trump has already sent the National Guard but only to Democratic-majority cities, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Memphis, and Portland.
The ACLU will continue to stand with our fellow Californians in resisting this administration’s authoritarian attacks on our democracy. We will raise our voices and participate in peaceful protests against Trump’s policies that violate civil liberties and civil rights.
Just last weekend, massive crowds of more than 100,000-strong turned out for the No Kings protest in San Francisco. They joined seven million people across the U.S.
We don’t know whether Trump will ultimately make good on his shameful threat to send National Guard troops to San Francisco.
But it’s important for San Franciscans to be prepared.
The ACLU encourages residents to become familiar with their protest rights with our ACLU Know Your Rights guides:
And above all stay peaceful. Don’t give Trump any excuse to escalate the use of force against civilians in our community.
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