Bay Area Breathes Easier as Immigration Raids Are Postponed

Plans for a big immigration crackdown in the Bay Area have been put on hold. This news came out on Friday from two federal officials who knew about the situation. President Trump had announced the day before that he had canceled the operation in San Francisco after talking to local tech leaders. But other cities in the Bay Area were still worried if they would be targeted. The federal officials confirmed that the operation was canceled everywhere in the Bay Area. This means that Customs and Border Protection agents were not going to carry out the planned enforcement actions. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security decided not to send extra staff from Los Angeles to help with the operation. Mayor Barbara Lee of Oakland also confirmed the cancellation later on Friday. She said that she was told by Yesenia Sanchez, the Alameda County sheriff, who was in touch with federal officials. Other leaders in the Bay Area expressed relief but remained cautious. The situation had been tense earlier in the week when C. B. P. agents started arriving in the Bay Area. They were getting ready for an enforcement push that was supposed to start this weekend. The agents were staging at the U. S. Coast Guard base in Alameda, a military installation near Oakland. This drew more than 200 protesters who were against the immigration raids. At least two Border Patrol vehicles were seen entering the base on Thursday morning. President Trump had mentioned that he was convinced by tech executives with Bay Area ties. He said that Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco had made progress this year on reducing crime in his city. However, leaders and activists in Oakland, which is right next to Alameda, said they hadn't been given any indication of whether the Trump administration would cancel enforcement plans there. In August, Mr. Trump had named Oakland as one of several cities he was eyeing for federal enforcement and National Guard troops because he said it had high crime rates.