Federal authorities shot a pastor from San Mateo County, Rev. Jorge Bautista, in the face and torso with a pepper ball at about 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
The pastor — who County Supervisor Noelia Corzo said was “showing zero aggression” and “just standing there” — was among hundreds protesting what would have been President Trump’s deployment of federal troops to San Francisco.
A few hours later, at around 10 a.m., President Trump declared on his social media platform that “we will not surge San Francisco on Saturday,” ending with “Stay tuned!”
The Thursday morning protest took place near Coast Guard Island in Alameda County, which would have been a base for the federal operation. Officials and residents alike have not known whether a “surge” would include the broader San Francisco Bay Area, and whether that decision would be temporary or permanent.
Nonetheless, officials are treating the threat as regional. San Mateo County, one of the safest and most foreign-born counties in the United States, remains on alert. Supervisor Ray Mueller called “the idea that we need the National Guard here for any purpose… frankly, ludicrous.”
County leaders, community organizers and residents gathered twice Thursday — once in the morning outside the county building and again in the evening at 500 County Center — to call for unity and share strategies for possible encounters with immigration officers.
At the morning press conference, Mueller said the county had been warned earlier in the week that “an incursion” of the National Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement was “imminent.”
“Frankly,” he stated, “we thought those would begin.”
Mueller said his understanding of events came from President Trump’s social media post and a press release from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
In the Truth Social post, Trump said he called off the San Francisco “surge” after friends — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff — told him Lurie was “making substantial progress” in addressing crime.
Lurie confirmed the call-off of federal troops in a press release also on Thursday morning, in which he said he told the president that San Francisco “would welcome continued partnerships” with the FBI, DEA, ATF and U.S. Attorney “to get drugs and drug dealers off our streets.”
However, “having the military and militarized immigration enforcement in our city will hinder our recovery,” the mayor of San Francisco added. “We appreciate that the president understands that we are the global hub for technology, and when San Francisco is strong, our country is strong.”
From those sources, Mueller said he believes “the incursion has been delayed,” but that it’s unclear whether an ICE sweep will be too.
He acknowledged the communal anxiety related to the uncertainty of the moment, and attempted to assure the community that “we’ve spent time, years, preparing for this. We’re ready.”
The plan is for the county to continue “operating as usual” and to provide resources to the most vulnerable in the community.
Corzo took to the podium, stating that “no one in our community deserves to be harmed psychologically, physically.”
Over 35% of San Mateo County are immigrants, and among the undocumented community, many are afraid to go to work, school and even leave their homes, Corzo said. The county will “keep an eye on” the long-term economic impacts of prolonged ICE activity, the supervisor added.
South San Francisco Mayor Eddie Flores, who is a “proud immigrant” himself, captured the sentiments of the leaders Thursday morning in his speech, stating, “We need our communities to know that we value all of our residents and that we stand with them, that we ensure their safety, that we ensure their security and their due process.”
Speakers also raised concerns about the chilling effect Trump’s threats could have on students.
San Mateo County Office of Education Executive Director Héctor Camacho said schools would not comply with actions “that threaten the safety, dignity and humanity of our children.”
“Every student is entitled to a free, public education, regardless of their immigration status,” he said.
Schools do not ask about a student’s or a family’s immigration status to enroll; student records are protected by law, and the office does not release personal information without a court order, which would be “over our bodies,” Camacho said.
Additionally, the Office of Education is working with every district and its community partners to ensure accurate information reaches families in the language they speak, helping educators answer questions about immigration enforcement and connecting folks with legal, wellness and mental health support.
“Know that our schools will remain safe, supportive places where children are cared for and always welcome,” the executive director concluded.
If an armed immigration agent were to appear on a San Mateo Union High School District campus, trustee Ligia Andrade Zúñiga said the school would activate its emergency Big Five protocol — shelter in place and secure the campus.
Ravenswood School District also released a statement Thursday outlining its safety policies: officers must register with the principal and provide proof of authority; students cannot be interviewed or searched without parental consent unless required by law; and all officer credentials and actions will be documented and shared with district leadership.
Following Sunday’s No Kings protest, which drew thousands to San Mateo County’s plaza at 500 County Center to reject Trump’s agenda, more than 50 returned Thursday evening to protest a Trump-led federal incursion in the Bay Area.
Among the activists was a teacher at George Hall Elementary School, who said some of his primary school students “know what’s going on” and have asked him questions. He said, “I try to reassure them” by saying “adults here look out for them.”
Another protester, longtime Redwood City resident Judy Kirk, 84, called ICE’s actions “cruel and sadistic.” She said she holds signs denouncing the president and his policies every Friday on Jefferson Avenue because she believes in the “3.5% Rule.”
The rule refers to the finding that no government has withstood a challenge by 3.5% of its population during a significant event, which a researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School called “useful as a rule of thumb in most cases.”
Public officials across the Bay Area issued statements Thursday denouncing the threat of federal intervention.
San Mateo County Undersheriff Dan Perea, who has taken on the duties of county sheriff following Christina Corpus’ official removal last week, affirmed that “as a local law enforcement agency, the Sheriff’s Office does not engage in immigration enforcement.”
In 2023, the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance prohibiting the use of county resources to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement except when required by law or court order.
The Sheriff’s Office “will not interfere with or attempt to prevent federal immigration operations,” Perea said. “Our focus continues to be on maintaining public safety and building trust within our communities.”
That said, “any acts of violence toward others, including law enforcement personnel, will be addressed swiftly.”
State Sen. Josh Becker denounced the threat of a raid, calling it “Donald Trump’s war on his own citizens” and “a stain on our nation’s history.” In a video statement, he said, “The Bay Area neither wants nor needs the federal government in our streets.”
Faith in Action Bay Area, a prominent network of faith and community leaders at the frontline of ICE activity response, and a group Corzo regularly refers to, has tracked immigration enforcement trends in San Mateo County.
“We have haven’t seen people arrested in the street based on race or language, in checkpoints, or in worksite raids,” Nani Friedman, a Faith in Action spokesperson, told this news organization.
Residents should know that the organization has only seen “targeted enforcement operations,” in which ICE awaits a specific individual or two outside of their home or car. The trend is that these targeted individuals typically have deportation orders.
The other notice Friedman wants to emphasize to San Mateo County is that “the vast majority” of those who appear for an ICE check-in or immigration court hearing walk away “just fine.”
“If people don’t go to their immigration appointment, they can get a deportation order just for not showing up,” the Faith in Action representative stated. Hundreds of volunteers from San Mateo County have been accompanying people to court appointments so they “don’t have to show up alone and face that intimidation.”
Visit the organization’s webpage for personal resources or to get involved.
During Thursday’s press conferences, speakers shared several related tactics and services:
- Call the San Mateo County Rapid Response Network at (203) 666-4472 or 203-NO-MIGRA, which connects targeted individuals with lawyers, family financial support,, or 203-NO-MIGRA, which connects targeted individuals with lawyers, familial financial support and other resources.
- In the event of a perceived ICE action, do not interject yourself because the county can’t protect you, Mueller said. Instead, take a picture or video of the incident so the county can see the identity of the targeted individual.
- Refrain from spreading unverified information on social media that can fuel panic.
- Go to work and school if you feel safe to do so — only undocumented residents with criminal records, for the most part, have been targeted in San Mateo County.
- Ensure school district emergency contact information is up to date, because students are only able to be released to authorized emergency contacts.
- See the county’s Office of Community Affairs Immigrant Services for information, legal referrals and multilingual resources.
- Explore the county’s Know Your Rights sessions and legal clinics to better understand protections.
- Make a family plan for emergencies.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include the full name of Faith in Action Bay Area and a clarification about the kinds of ICE arrests the organization has observed. Details of Ravenswood School District’s policies were updated as well.
