Dean Preston in October 2024
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A political and moral showdown is unfolding in San Francisco as local and state officials respond to mass arrests and increasing federal aggression amid a wave of immigration raids and protests. More than 150 people, including six children, were arrested on June 8 during protests against sweeping ICE operations tied to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge. As images of kettling, baton strikes, and police detentions circulated online, city leaders delivered starkly different responses to the events—and to the deeper crisis of civil liberties now playing out on city streets.
Supervisor Dean Preston and State Senator Scott Wiener issued strongly worded rebukes of the Trump administration, condemning what they described as a pattern of authoritarian escalation, racial targeting, and unconstitutional federal overreach.
“We saw people kettled, beaten with batons, and detained simply for demanding that our city live up to its Sanctuary City values,” said Preston. “The brutality displayed by law enforcement against peaceful demonstrators is not just excessive—it is state violence, plain and simple.”
Preston called on top state officials to take stronger action against ICE operations that are increasingly viewed as lawless. “Why haven’t the Governor and Mayor directed local law enforcement to protect communities from illegal kidnappings by ICE?” he asked. “If you are not targeted today, you will be tomorrow.”
Wiener, in a statement issued from Sacramento, echoed Preston’s warnings and denounced the federal deployment of Marines to Los Angeles as a violation of American democratic norms. “Trump is a President, bound by the rule of law, but he is acting like a king,” Wiener said. “This is straight-up police state fascism.”
Wiener condemned the ICE raids as “inhumane and un-American,” citing arrests of children, agricultural workers, and labor leaders. “They can threaten us all they want—we will not back down from protecting our immigrant neighbors,” he said.
But while Preston and Wiener called for open resistance and statewide defiance of federal directives, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins struck a more measured tone. In a press statement issued after the arrests, Jenkins affirmed the right to protest while emphasizing public safety and the rule of law.
“I fully support the right of anyone in this country and in our city to freely express themselves and make their voices heard peacefully,” Jenkins said. “At this time of growing fear and chaos, it is essential that we, as city leaders, do everything we can to support vulnerable communities and ensure that their rights, including the right to free speech and expression, are protected.”
Jenkins acknowledged the fear spreading in immigrant communities due to what she called ICE’s “unprecedented enforcement activities,” and pledged to continue protecting those who live and work “in the shadows.” She said her office would not hesitate to prosecute those who commit crimes against immigrant communities, noting, “They are integral members of our community.”
However, Jenkins also made clear that her office would not tolerate violence or vandalism.
“While we must protect avenues for free speech, the exercise of free speech cannot compromise public safety,” she said. “A much smaller group engaged in dangerous and unlawful behavior that we cannot ignore or allow. Violence against law enforcement officers will not be tolerated, and neither will the vandalism that occurred to public and private property.”
Jenkins said her office would review each arrest individually and base charging decisions solely on the facts and the law. “We do not bow to political pressure,” she said, “nor do we forsake our obligations to protect public safety and enforce the law selectively due to any political pressure.”
In response, civil rights advocates expressed concern that this approach risks criminalizing dissent at a time when constitutional protections are under siege. “We’re seeing protesters arrested en masse while federal agents tear families apart,” one organizer told the Vanguard. “Public safety is being redefined to protect institutions, not people.”
The protests came amid revelations that the Trump administration is threatening to jail California officials who refuse to comply with federal demands, including Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta. The state has since filed multiple legal actions seeking to block the administration’s moves, including the federalization of the California National Guard.
For many San Francisco residents, the current crisis feels existential. With ICE raids escalating, military forces deployed in U.S. cities, and basic civil liberties hanging in the balance, city officials are grappling not just with how to respond—but how to lead.
Preston, invoking the famous poem by Martin Niemöller, warned that inaction is complicity. “This is textbook authoritarianism,” he said. “You cannot appease this. We must act together—now.”
Wiener emphasized unity: “San Francisco’s leadership is united in our commitment to protect the hardworking immigrants and workers who make our city and our state run.”
As the legal and political fallout continues, one thing is clear: the battle over civil liberties, immigration enforcement, and the role of local government in resisting federal overreach is far from over—and San Francisco may once again be at the forefront.
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Breaking News Civil Rights San Francisco
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