\u201cA man from Pakistan, which was the home country where my family is originally from, was detained at immigration court. These tactics create trauma and erode trust in the public institutions intended to serve and protect all residents,\u201d Mahmood said. \u201c[Trump] may be holding back for now, but whether it\u2019s 100 agents or one, this is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet the mayor\u2019s dealings with the Trump administration come as a relief to many who worried troops on the ground in San Francisco would only inspire more fear and chaos.<\/p>\n
\u201cMayor Lurie deserves credit. There\u2019s no doubt that he initiated some of these conversations, and it seems like a deliberate strategy to enlist the support of people such as Marc Benioff, a rich businessman, that Trump might listen to,\u201d said Jason McDaniel, a politics professor at San Francisco State University.<\/p>\n
Last week, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who formerly supported Democratic candidates, came under fire for praising Trump and supporting calls to send the National Guard to San Francisco. Lurie spoke directly with Benioff, who later walked back his remarks and apologized<\/a>.<\/p>\n As tensions this week over a potential National Guard deployment loomed, Lurie repeatedly affirmed the city\u2019s sanctuary status<\/a>, meaning local police cannot aid federal immigration enforcement. But the city also can\u2019t interfere with these agencies operating in San Francisco, either.<\/p>\n The city already partners with agencies like the FBI, DEA and ATF as part of a multi-agency crackdown on fentanyl dealing in the Tenderloin<\/a>. These agencies also assist with immigration enforcement, have the power to arrest and can turn people over to ICE for potential deportation.<\/p>\n Some city leaders want to see more of that.<\/p>\n \u201cIf drug dealers are undocumented immigrants and committing a crime in our city, they should be deported,\u201d said Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents the South of Market neighborhood.<\/p>\n The U.S. attorney general\u2019s office has cut back on street-level drug-dealing cases, Dorsey said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was disappointing \u2026 having a good, strong cooperative federal partnership could mean a big difference,\u201d Dorsey said, applauding the mayor\u2019s negotiation with the president.<\/p>\n Previous administrations have also brought in state resources like the California Highway Patrol to assist with drug trafficking. Last year, Lurie made combating outdoor drug use and dealing a key component of his mayoral campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cAsking for help from federal and state governments to bring more resources to bear is certainly something that I can see being a popular position and one that is consistent with the positions that Lurie has laid out,\u201d McDaniel said of Lurie\u2019s messaging.<\/p>\n Drug arrests and citations have increased in San Francisco this year, according to city data, and the first-term mayor claimed that the support of federal law enforcement has been helpful in that mission.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an ongoing partnership \u2026 to tackle fentanyl,\u201d Lurie said when asked about concerns that increased law enforcement from other federal agencies could threaten immigrants. \u201cWe\u2019ve made progress, but we still have a lot of work to do on this front. Fentanyl is a scourge in our city, and we will work with anybody that will help us end the fentanyl crisis on our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n During his address Thursday, Lurie stood flanked by the city\u2019s public safety leaders, who supported the mayor\u2019s calls for more cooperation with federal law enforcement agencies on drug issues. Trump also posted to Truth Social, praising Lurie<\/a> for the city\u2019s progress on crime.<\/p>\n But outside City Hall, at a rally with labor unions, nurses echoed Fielder\u2019s concerns. Many feared that immigrants with no connections to the drug trade could be targeted and racially profiled.<\/p>\n Others said increasing law enforcement to handle street-level drug challenges, including fentanyl dealing and overdoses, could have adverse public health effects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/05\/250502-TENDERLOINTRIAGECENTER-19-BL-KQED.jpg\")
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