San Francisco urges Supreme Court to halt troop deployment to Chicago, other cities

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — With President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard to San Francisco looming, the city has joined with over 40 other local governments across the country in an effort to have the United States Supreme Court block a similar deployment in Chicago. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, on Tuesday, announced that he had joined other local governments in filing an amicus brief.

The brief urges the court to prevent the Trump Administration from using the military for domestic law enforcement and from deploying 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 unreimbursed costs locally, according to Chiu’s office.

Following similar deployments in Los Angeles and Portland, Trump authorized the deployment of 300 guard members to Chicago earlier this month — over the objections of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Illinois officials filed a lawsuit to block the deployment and a federal district court issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to halt the deployment.

The Seventh Circuit U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has barred the troops from being deployed to Chicago and the Trump Administration has appealed to the Supreme Court.

With Trump now levying similar threats against San Francisco, city officials have been emphatic that there is no need, or factual basis, for such a deployment.

“Needlessly and haphazardly deploying the military to American cities makes us all less safe,” said City Attorney Chiu. “These deployments inflame tensions, undermine local law enforcement, and harm local economies. We’re joining local jurisdictions across the country to defend the rule of law and our right to peace and safety.”

Chiu also cited San Francisco’s “historic drop in crime,” calling it “one of the safest cities in the nation.” According to city officials, San Francisco is on-track for a 70-year low in homicides and a 22-year low in car break-ins. According to SF Mayor Daniel Lurie, overall crime has seen a 30% drop this year.