Trump Pauses National Guard Deployment to San Francisco

The Facts

The National Guard is not being deployed, thanks to Mayor Lurie.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy at least 100 federal immigration officers to San Francisco as part of what he called a federal “surge.” But after a call on Wednesday night with Mayor Daniel Lurie, the President reversed course.

According to Mayor Lurie, he told Trump that San Francisco is on the rise and cited the city’s marked decrease in crime across the board, rise in visitors, declining office vacancies, and the steady return of workers downtown.

By Thursday morning, Trump confirmed on Truth Social that the planned surge was being called off after what he described as “very good conversations” with Mayor Lurie. At a press conference later that day, Lurie confirmed he had also been in contact with Attorney General Pam Bondi to explore ways the city and federal government could work together to curb fentanyl trafficking.

The Context

Over the past few months, the Trump Administration has deployed federal immigration officers and the National Guard to cities across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Memphis, and Washington, D.C. President Trump has also threatened future military interventions in several other cities, including New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, Oakland, and St. Louis. These deployments have fueled tension and unrest, leading to mass demonstrations, deepening divisions within communities nationwide, as well as chaos and violence.

Violent crime has fallen to lows not seen in decades with homicides on track to hit 70-year lows. Overall crime is down 30 percent citywide, car break-ins are at 22-year lows, and tent encampments have fallen to record lows. Simultaneously, the city’s economic renaissance is in swing, with a 27.3% year-over-year jump in office demand in Q2, and vacancy rates (empty storefronts) decreasing to 6.7% in the second quarter, compared with 7.4% in Q2 of last year. In July, we released a poll that showed that for the first time since 2016, over 50% of San Franciscans say the city is on the right track.

The GrowSF Take

We're very impressed by Mayor Lurie's handling of this situation. By engaging directly with President Trump, avoiding inflammatory rhetoric, and inviting help from federal agencies like the DEA and ATF, Lurie brought the temperature down, avoided a National Guard deployment, and shifted the focus to San Francisco's positive developments.