San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is preparing for his most important fight yet: defending one of the country’s most progressive cities against President-elect Donald Trump.
The 54-year-old is expected to play a key role in the campaign to keep Trump at bay if the incoming president follows through on his promise to target sanctuary cities if they do not comply.
Democrats are likely to face more legal resistance this time around, as Trump and his staff have learned from their mistakes during his first term. Republicans control both chambers of Congress and have a majority on the Supreme Court, giving the Trump administration an advantage.
“Trump has said he is going to go after anyone and any jurisdictions that do not do what he wants, and he has suggested everything up to criminal prosecutions,” Chiu told the San Francisco Chronicle. “So there is a lot of concern throughout the country about what that means. But… we must and will stand up for our communities.”
Chiu has already begun working with cities and counties across the state in preparation for what may occur after Trump is sworn in on January 20, 2025.
Chiu has also appointed a deputy city attorney to handle solely Trump-related legal matters. Chiu is one of several California attorneys who have asked the state legislature to allocate $10 million to the cause.
He told the news outlet that he would fight to protect the legal status of anyone born in the United States, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Trump has long opposed birthright citizenship, which is protected by the 14th Amendment.
“We are going to have to get it changed… but we have to end it,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker. “If we can, we will take executive action. I was going to do it through executive action, but, to be honest, we need to fix Covid first.”
The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, ensures citizenship for anyone born in the country.
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” according to the Constitution!
Despite this, Trump stated that he would try to end birthright citizenship with an executive order “if we can.”
Chiu stated that he was ready to take on Trump and emphasized the importance of immigrants.
“As a son of immigrants, the threat to our immigrant communities could not be more serious… “Our economy is based on our immigrant populations,” he explained. “If he were to overturn birthright citizenship, it would be catastrophic for our city, our state, and our country.”
Chiu’s predecessor, Dennis Herrera, was successful in several legal battles against Trump.
Herrera filed a lawsuit in January 2017, during Trump’s first month in office, against an executive order attempting to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities like San Francisco that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The lawsuit was successful, and Trump was unable to carry out the plan outlined in the order.
Chiu’s fight is not just about immigrants’ rights. He is preparing to oppose vaccinations, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and climate change.
“These are not the fights that we wanted to have, but if Trump brings the fight to our doorsteps, we will do what we need to do to defend our city and our people,” Chiu told reporters.