SAN FRANCISCO - Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday nudged Californians to be cautious about President Donald Trump’s sudden decision to pause a planned federal immigration surge in the San Francisco Bay Area, warning that the president often changes his mind.
Newsom’s comments came after Trump backed off his plan to deploy federal agents to the Bay Area — a move the White House said was aimed at curbing crime and immigration issues.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to send the National Guard to the region, and on Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents began arriving at Coast Guard Island in Alameda for a possible ramp-up of immigration enforcement.
What we know: The plan is now on pause after Trump spoke with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and several high-profile business leaders about the city’s progress in reducing crime. San Francisco has seen a 30% drop in violent crime compared with last year, and homicides are at a 70-year low.
Following those conversations, Trump agreed to let San Francisco keep trying on its own.
Big picture view: At a news conference supporting Proposition 50 on Thursday, Newsom warned residents not to be deceived by this political ploy, saying the city’s crime reduction efforts were already well known to local and state leaders.
“Business leaders made the phone call to Donald Trump — now we know who he listens to,” Newsom said. “In every way, it’s not surprising because it’s so consistent with who Trump is — how broken his mind is — that it would take business leaders to make those calls, not the people he should be representing.”
Newsom said Trump only backed off after wealthy and powerful San Franciscans told him to, especially as the city is “enjoying a renaissance and a rebirth. It’s a golden goose.”
The governor added that beyond the city’s elite, some residents were fearful at the prospect of a federal operation. He said some residents may have stayed home after hearing reports that federal agents were there, worried they could be caught up in the action.