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The federal government appeared poised on Wednesday to send dozens of law enforcement personnel to the northern California for a significant border security initiative, triggering criticism from state officials.

Details of the Operation

Details of the mission were continuing to unfold, but it will allegedly feature approximately 100+ government officers, based on information. The officers are expected to begin occupying the US Coast Guard base in the East Bay, facing San Francisco. It was still uncertain whether national guard troops would participate.

Official Backlash

The operation follows weeks of threats by the administration to focus on the liberal city. California’s governor Gavin Newsom criticized the move, labeling it “taken directly from the dictator’s handbook”.

“He dispatches masked men, he deploys border agents, he deploys ICE, he instills anxiety and fear in the community so that he can take credit for addressing that by sending in the national guard,” Newsom said. “This is no different than the arsonist putting out the inferno.”

Local Preparation

San Francisco is the latest major city focused on by Donald Trump’s campaign of mass immigration arrests. The mission is anticipated to provoke a showdown between the administration and city officials who have vowed to stop paramilitary operations in the city.

San Franciscans have been preparing for an extended period for Trump to carry out frequent statements to send troops to the city. At a Wednesday public announcement, San Francisco’s mayor stated again that the city was equipped.

“Over recent weeks, we have been anticipating the likelihood of a potential national intervention in our city,” stated the official, adding that he had taken further executive actions on Wednesday to “bolster the city’s assistance to our immigrant communities, and guarantee our offices are organized ahead of any national intervention.”

Judicial Context

Regardless of court battles to missions in a number of cities, including Illinois, Oregon and Los Angeles, Trump has asserted “unquestioned power” to dispatch the military forces in cities, referencing the presidential authority which enables presidents specific authority to deploy troops on American territory.

Local Reaction

Newsom, who once held office as San Francisco’s city leader – had pledged to take action “without delay” to a operation in the city. “The notion that the federal government can send forces into our cities with no valid reason grounded in reality, no oversight, no accountability, disregard for state sovereignty – it constitutes an attack on the rule of law,” he said on Wednesday.

Community groups, including social justice nonprofits established during the previous presidential term, have prepped to quickly mobilize a public demonstration in the city, as well as peaceful assemblies at public spaces.

Local Effect

In San Francisco’s Mission area, a predominantly Latino neighborhood, elected official stated to media last week she and her voters had been bracing for this moment. “The time that people stop going to work, when minority individuals can’t freely walk outside without the apprehension of government officers targeting based on race and detaining them, the point when students avoid classrooms, grow too frightened to go to the supermarket or physician,” she said. “The readiness efforts in the Mission is basically a halt the extent of which we have not witnessed since the health crisis.”

State Troops Situation

Approximately 300 out of 4,000 state military personnel stay under federal control under an order from Trump. Roughly two hundred of them had been transferred to the neighboring state, where they were staying in standby amid a judicial dispute over their deployment.

This time, Newsom said he had requested the California national guard troops under his authority to staff distribution centers throughout the government shutdown.