SAN FRANCISCO (KRONA) – As President Donald Trump threatens to deploy the National Guard to San Francisco, the city has joined more than 40 other local governments across the country in an effort to get the U.S. Supreme Court to block the deployment of the National Guard to Chicago. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced Tuesday that he has joined other local governments in filing an amicus brief.
The brief urges the court to block the Trump administration from using the military for local law enforcement and from stationing the National Guard in Chicago. The administration’s actions threaten state and local sovereignty, undermine public trust and local law enforcement, destabilize communities, harm local economies, and impose millions in unpaid costs locally, according to Chiu’s office.
After similar deployments in Los Angeles and Portland, Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Guard members to Chicago earlier this month — despite objections from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. Illinois officials sued to block the publication and a federal district court issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to stop the publication.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the deployment of troops to Chicago and the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court.
With Trump now making similar threats against San Francisco, city officials have stressed there is no need or realistic basis for such a deployment.
“The indiscriminate and unnecessary deployment of the military in American cities makes us all less safe,” said City Prosecutor Chiu. “These deployments inflame tensions, undermine local law enforcement, and harm local economies. We join local jurisdictions across the country to defend the rule of law and our right to peace and security.”
Chiu also noted San Francisco’s “historic decline in crime rates,” calling it “one of the safest cities in the country.” According to city officials, San Francisco is on track for a 70-year low in homicides and a 22-year low in carjackings. According to San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, overall crime has seen a 30% decline this year.
On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom also threatened to take legal action against the administration if the National Guard was deployed in the city.
“Sending troops to San Francisco?” Newsom tweeted. “Do that and we’ll sue.”