Organizations serving Vallejo immigrant communities braced for federal agents to flood the Bay Area this week, as flyers warning of expected immigration raids appeared on buildings downtown. But on Friday afternoon, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced that Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez informed her that for the time being, “Border Patrol operations are cancelled for the greater Bay Area.”
Lee’s announcement followed the deployment of federal immigration agents to a U.S. Coast Guard base in Alameda Thursday morning. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he would deploy agents in San Francisco, but later wrote on Truth Social that he changed his mind after speaking with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Bay Area tech billionaires Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff.
Open Vallejo contacted Vallejo City Manager Andrew Murray and each member of the City Council Friday for comment. None responded, with the exception of Councilmember Helen-Marie Gordon, who said in a phone interview that Murray had confirmed by email that there was no immigration enforcement planned or occurring locally. Gordon said she supported the decision to halt the surge. On Friday evening, the city of Vallejo announced that it was not aware of any current or planned immigration enforcement activity in the city.
Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis said by phone Friday that he was not aware of any such operations.
“I know that they haven’t come to Vallejo,” Hollis said. “They’re not in Vallejo, unless they’re here without informing us.”
Solano County sheriff spokesperson Sgt. Rex Hawkins did not respond to a request for comment.
The North Bay Rapid Response Network, a local immigration advocacy group, said in a Friday phone call that it had not received any reports of immigration enforcement in Vallejo connected to the planned surge in federal agents.
“It’s been really quiet,” a spokesperson said.
In 2017, the Vallejo City Council passed a resolution committing the city to being a safe place for immigrants, although it stopped short of declaring itself a sanctuary city. The same year, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 54, which restricts state and local police from assisting in federal immigration enforcement, subject to specific exceptions.
In a Friday press release, the Vallejo Police Department said it does not collect or maintain information on immigration status and does not detain individuals solely for suspected immigration violations.
“We want every resident to feel safe engaging with their police department, knowing that our officers are here to serve and protect without regard to immigration status,” Mayor Andrea Sorce said in the press release. “Trust is the foundation of public safety, and we remain committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive community for all.”
Federal law enforcement used force against protesters outside the Coast Guard base early Thursday, deploying at least one flashbang grenade and pepper spray, according to local news outlets. One protester was reportedly injured when a Border Patrol vehicle ran over his foot as it entered the base. Later that day, California Highway Patrol officers declared an unlawful assembly outside the base and arrested two people.
At approximately 10 p.m. Thursday, Coast Guard security officers shot the driver of a box truck who allegedly accelerated in reverse toward them and ignored commands to stop.
The Department of Homeland Security wrote in a statement on X that two civilians were injured and were expected to survive. The truck driver was shot in the stomach and was being held for a mental health evaluation, while a bullet fragment struck a bystander, the agency said.
