San Francisco DA Vows To Prosecute Federal Immigration Agents When She Believes Charges Are Warranted

San Francisco joins the growing ranks of state and local governments refusing to go along with White House immigration policies, with the city’s top prosecutor saying she “won’t hesitate” to file charges against federal agents if they are warranted.District Attorney Brooke Jenkins made the vow in an interview, saying she would bring forward excessive force or other charges against troops dispatched to her city by the Trump administration if there is evidence that would stand up in court.“We have to make clear to our residents where we stand,” she told Politico, which described any such prosecution as “an unprecedented and legally questionable move.”“This is about me being clear to them that if there is a provable case, that I am not going to hesitate to move forward, regardless of how difficult that hurdle may be,” she continued. “If I believe, and have conviction, that we can meet our burden and charges are appropriate, that I won’t hesitate to do so.”President Trump renewed his threat to send troops into the city on Wednesday during a press conference with the director of the FBI, Kash Patel. He called the city “a mess” and said unnamed officials in San Francisco had requested troops.“We have great support in San Francisco, so I would like to recommend that for inclusion, maybe in your next group,” the president told Mr. Patel.Ms. Jenkins has publicly implored the administration not to intervene with law-enforcement efforts in San Francisco, saying it would cause chaos. Recent National Guard mobilizations have usually been associated with a ramping-up of immigration enforcement.A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, dismissed the threat of prosecution, telling Politico that Ms. Jenkins “is going to sue law enforcement for enforcing the rule of law — something she refuses to do as District Attorney.”The city by the bay is just the latest municipality to push back against Mr. Trump’s efforts to federalize law-enforcement.The state of Illinois is suing Mr. Trump to block his bid to federalize the state National Guard and deploy Texas national guardsmen within Illinois’s borders.The Trump administration and Governor JB Pritzker have been at odds for weeks, with the Department of Homeland Security increasing the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers assigned to carry out deportation operations in the state.That has sparked demonstrations at ICE locations, which the White House has cited as justification for the National Guard deployment.Governor Tina Kotek and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum of Oregon initiated legal action to prevent the deployment in their state of 200 National Guard members from Oregon, California, and Texas.U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued two extensions of an injunction blocking the deployment, pointing to the lack of any insurrection or legitimate security concern. The administration’s power to bypass state opposition is currently under examination by federal appeals courts.Earlier this month, Judge Immergut blocked the Trump administration from deploying 300 Oregon National Guard troops.Mr. Trump and his top aides have raged against both of her rulings and said that he would not rule out defying the orders. He has said the judge, whom he nominated in 2019, should be “ashamed” of herself.The White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, made clear early this month that he does not see the earlier order as legitimate. Only the president, he said, can dictate the actions of the American military — even if it is a state’s National Guard. He called the ruling “legal insurrection.”“The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, not an Oregon judge,” he wrote on X. He also described the anti-ICE protests as “an organized terrorist attack on the federal government and its officers.”

San Francisco DA Vows To Prosecute Federal Immigration Agents When She Believes Charges Are Warranted

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