Desmond Meagley
A graffitied sign at the Oakland entrance of the Coast Guard Island near Alameda, CA on October 23, 2025.
The Peralta Community College District sent out a districtwide announcement Wednesday evening alerting recipients that federal immigration agents are expected to escalate their ongoing enforcement operations in the Bay Area.
“A surge of more than 100 federal agents is expected to arrive on Thursday, October 23, 2025,” the email read. “At this point in time, we do not have details as to their specific plans.”
The announcement was signed by the district chancellor and the four college presidents.
The alert follows reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle and other Bay Area news outlets that federal law enforcement agents have arrived in the Bay Area as part of a national effort by the Trump administration to crack down on immigration.
According to reports from NBC News, the Trump administration is no longer expected to deploy federal troops to San Francisco after the president spoke with SalesForce CEO Marc Benioff and other “friends” from the city’s economic center.
“We are aware of the situation and remind you all that the Peralta Colleges care about our students and employees and support the right of all to receive a college education, including individuals lacking immigration credentials,” the district’s alert read.
What’s Peralta’s policy for immigration officials on campus?
Administrative Procedure (AP) 3415, Peralta’s protocol for immigration enforcement activities, advises students and staff to document any appearance of immigration enforcement agents on campus and report sightings directly to the college president.
The AP says that federal immigration agents should be directed to the president’s office of each campus “for purposes of verifying the legality of any warrant, court order, or subpoena.” The president or a “designee” shall submit a report to the district governing board and campus public safety office for a response.
California governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a series of bills as part of a state effort to counteract the federal government’s immigration enforcement policies. One of these bills, Assembly Bill 49, restricts school officials and employees from allowing immigration agents onto campuses without a warrant.
Berkeley City College president Denise Richardson said in an interview with The Citizen Wednesday that the college “intends to be in alignment” with the “expectations” set by the governor’s office.
District policy states that if there is reason to suspect a student, faculty member, or staff person is in custody of immigration enforcement, district personnel shall notify that person’s emergency contact. District personnel shall also maintain a list of contacts for legal resources and provide that list to students at their request.
Peralta’s executive director of marketing, communications, and public relations, Mark Johnson, wrote in an email to The Citizen that the district will send out notifications via SMS and email to the Peralta community if there are reports of immigration agents on any one of the campuses.
Tensions ramp up in Alameda County
At a Thursday morning press conference, Oakland mayor Barbara Lee alongside other local and state officials addressed the escalation.
In an interview with The Citizen following the press conference, California state assemblymember Mia Bonta urged Peralta students to “stay focused on [their] studies, but also look around and see what is happening.”
“This is a moment like no other,” Bonta continued. “Students are the backbone of every social movement.”
On Wednesday afternoon, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that more than 100 federal agents were dispatched to the Coast Guard base in Alameda. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard told The Chronicle that federal law enforcement agents will use the base as a “place of operation.”
The Coast Guard base is approximately 2.4 miles from Laney College and 4.5 miles from College of Alameda.
Vehicles carrying federal agents arrived at the base early Thursday morning, where they were met with protestors.
According to coverage by ABC 7, physical altercations took place throughout the day between federal agents and protesters, including the use of tear gas and flash bangs. Two protestors have been injured so far.
The Citizen reporters who were on-site Thursday at the entrance to the Coast Guard base saw California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers arrive with riot gear to disperse the protest, after multiple dismissal warnings to the crowd, at approximately 3:18 p.m.
At time of publication, the Coast Guard is in control of the area, though protestors are still present.
Editor in Chief Desmond Meagley, Multimedia Editor Eliot Faine, Associate Editor Nelzy Gonzalez-Zaragoza, and Staff Writer Erik Bracken contributed to reporting.