A rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations escalated into a riot Sunday evening as masked demonstrators threw hammers and pieces of broken metal barricades at the windows and doors of the agency’s office and businesses on Sansome Street.
San Francisco Acting Police Chief Paul Yep confirmed 148 adults and six minors were arrested, cited, and released for failing to disperse. Officers said they recovered a gun at the scene.
At first it seemed like any other rally against President Donald Trump, but with more participants and press after he deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier in the day. But within an hour after convening around 6 p.m., protesters began hurling eggs and paintballs at the concrete walls of the ICE building. They also spray-painted the walls, writing “Fuck ICE.”
At one point, a male passerby tried to take spray paint from a protester’s hands and was jumped by demonstrators. That caught the attention of the SFPD.
Soon after, officers in riot gear began exiting vans north of the protest. Rally-goers took notice and yelled that they were “pigs” and “should go home.” Many began sharing the idea of moving north to confront the officers and form a line in front of where they were standing.
After organizing for a few minutes, the protesters moved to within inches of the officers in helmets and visors. The officers gripped their batons.
After several minutes of yelling back and forth, someone threw a beer bottle. When the officers stepped back, protesters stepped forward. Chants included: “IOF, KKK, SFPD they’re all the same” and “Oink oink piggy piggy, we will make your lives shitty.” Graffiti on the walls of the ICE building suggested that killing police was a way to save lives.
Then, the rally on Sansome dispersed. It headed south, to Market Street. Along the way, several masked protesters — most wearing keffiyehs — threw broken metal barricades at the ICE office, as well as a nearby Chase Bank and other businesses. Security guards inside stood straight as a hammer crashed through the glass.
As a Standard reporter was videotaping the events, his phone was snatched from his hand, and he was confronted by several protesters. When he tried to get his phone back, they tossed it into the sewer. Minutes later, as the reporter was writing in his notebook, someone tried to snatch it from him and said, “We are onto you.”
Later in the evening, The Standard spotted a stalled Waymo at Battery and Pine streets, bearing “Fuck ICE” and other graffiti. In a statement, Waymo said it is “in touch with law enforcement.”
The SFPD said officers were on hand to observe the protest when matters took a turn about an hour into the demonstration.
“Individuals in the group became violent and began to commit crimes ranging from assault to felony vandalism and causing property damage,” police said in an emailed statement late Sunday.
The SFPD declared an unlawful assembly and tried to disperse the crowd. Two officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries; one was transported to a hospital.
“While many left the scene, several individuals remained and continued engaging in illegal activity,” SFPD officials said.
Police said the group headed toward Market and Kearny streets, where some vandalized buildings and an SFPD patrol vehicle, while others splintered off and continued to deface property.
Another small group continued to Montgomery Street and refused to leave the area, police said. The SFPD issued more dispersal orders.
Then, officers made dozens of arrests.
“Individuals are always free to exercise their First Amendment rights in San Francisco, but violence — especially against SFPD officers — will never be tolerated,” the police department said.
Mayor Daniel Lurie issued a joint statement with the SFPD, saying he was working with law enforcement to keep the city safe. City crews were working to clean up the damage, get Muni back to full service, and prepare for what comes next, he added.
My first priority as mayor is, and has always been, the safety of everyone who lives or works in San Francisco. I have been coordinating with local law enforcement and city departments throughout the weekend to keep everyone safe during this evening’s protest, and I am with our… https://t.co/tDNeuZsouz
— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) June 9, 2025
“As I have always said, efforts to target members of our immigrant community who contribute to our city, support our economy, and raise their families here make our city less safe,” Lurie said. “We will continue San Francisco’s decades-long practice of prioritizing everyone’s safety by supporting community organizations, investing in immigrant legal services, and continuing to build trust with local law enforcement.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that California will sue Trump, saying the president “illegally acted to federalize the National Guard” in Los Angeles.
Dozens of people were in line for the ICE office on Sansome Street on Monday morning as workers inspected the damage.
Greg Schacher, who was getting breakfast sandwiches and coffee with family members at Cafe Me on Sansome Street, said the visible protest markings across from the ICE building were “gut-wrenching.”
“There’s a fear of what our government could be headed to, to use this kind of illegal force,” Schacher said. “We just don’t know if that’s a slippery slope to some authoritarian government.”
The Minnesota resident said he has personal experience with tensions between law enforcement and communities. George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer about a mile from Schacher’s home in 2020, sparking nationwide protests over police brutality and civil rights.
Schacher drew connections between those Minneapolis demonstrations and what he observed in San Francisco, expressing concern about the potential for heavy-handed government responses to escalate conflicts.
“People should be able to protest without having the Marines or the National Guard,” he said. “That’s part of what escalates protests into riots.”
ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.