Trump postpones sending federal forces to San Francisco news

US President Donald Trump announced the postponement of his plan to send federal forces to the city of San Francisco, after repeatedly affirming his intention to intervene in the city, which he says is suffering from high crime rates.

Trump said on his social platform, “Truth Social,” yesterday, Thursday, that he was preparing to issue an order to send troops this week, but decided to back down after contacts he had with Daniel Lurie, the mayor of San Francisco, and with a number of “friends residing in the area.”

The American President explained that the mayor “asked him very kindly to give him a chance to handle the situation himself,” adding, “I told him that I think he is making a mistake, because we can move faster and eliminate criminals who the law does not allow him to deal with.”

Trump continued, “We will not interfere in San Francisco on Saturday. Stay tuned for more.”

Despite his decision to postpone, Trump did not rule out in the future the implementation of expanded operations by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency or the deployment of National Guard forces, as he did previously in cities with democratic administration such as Los Angeles and Washington.

At the beginning of this month, the US President hinted at activating the counterinsurgency law, which allows him to deploy federal forces, at a time when his administration faces lawsuits, protests, and accusations of “militarizing” cities controlled by Democrats under the pretext of combating crime and irregular immigration.

The Trump administration has deployed National Guard forces in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities, as part of a campaign that authorities say aims to eliminate crime and irregular immigration.

For his part, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie confirmed that he spoke by phone with the president and convinced him not to send federal forces.

Lowry noted that the city “is witnessing gradual improvement, and is working to address the causes of crime and homelessness.”

“The president made it clear to me that he has canceled any immediate plans to deploy forces in the city,” Lowry added.

Lowry warned over the weekend that ICE agents were using “disruptive field tactics” that could later be used as a pretext for sending in the National Guard, which he described as “an unwarranted escalation in a city working to recover.”

Republicans have for years portrayed San Francisco as a symbol of the failure of Democratic administrations to address the problems of safety and homelessness.

But statistics from the city police and the California Department of Justice show that homicide rates have reached their lowest level in 70 years, and robbery crimes have fallen to their lowest levels in 4 decades, despite the continuing homelessness crisis in downtown areas close to commercial districts and tourist attractions.