> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.workersrights.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ICE arrests in Bakersfield jumped nearly tenfold. Voters there decide a toss-up House race Tuesday. - URL: https://www.workersrights.news/bakersfield-ice-arrests-tenfold-ca-22-toss-up-house-race/ - Published: 2026-11-01T05:11:30.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-01T05:11:30.000Z - Description: A U.S. official told Reuters agents got "the green light" to make as many arrests as possible in California's Central Valley. - Author: WorkersRights.News Team - Tags: Politics Immigration arrests in Bakersfield, California, jumped from one a day for most of 2026 to nearly 10 a day in mid-October, according to preliminary Department of Homeland Security data obtained by [Reuters](https://gvwire.com/2026/10/31/ice-raids-spark-accusations-of-voter-intimidation-in-valadaos-toss-up-district/?ref=workersrights.news). Bakersfield sits in California's 22nd Congressional District, a 73% Latino district where polls show one of the closest House races in the country. Voting ends Tuesday, Nov. 3. Reuters reported Saturday that the Central Valley surge was announced to agents in early October in an internal email the news agency saw, and that it was directed by the White House, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Agents were given the green light to be out and make as many arrests as possible," the official told Reuters. ### How the arrests reach workers The surge doesn't look like the big-city operations in Chicago or Minneapolis. Reuters described small groups of officers moving from town to town through the farm belt. In Wasco, a town of 26,000, ICE arrested at least seven people in a few days, the DHS data showed. According to the same official, officers are also auditing records at local businesses and using employee information to arrest workers at home or on their daily commute. Reuters attributed that account to the official; it has not been confirmed by court records or other reporting. Commutes have already been a target. Early in October, agents stopped a van carrying farmworkers from Selma to jobs in Bakersfield and detained everyone inside, according to the monitoring group Valley Watch, as reported by [Civil Eats](https://civileats.com/2026/10/27/ice-enforcement-surge-hits-workers-across-the-food-system/?ref=workersrights.news) and [South Kern Sol](https://southkernsol.org/2026/10/08/ice-launches-45-day-california-operation/?ref=workersrights.news). The United Farm Workers told Reuters it knew of hundreds of California farmworkers detained in recent weeks. UFW national Vice President Elizabeth Strater said the vast majority had no criminal records and some had legal work authorization. Silvia Romana, an organizer with Faith in the Valley, told Civil Eats that field supervisors in Kern County were calling to say many workers had stopped showing up out of fear. ### The race on the ballot The 22nd District pits six-term Republican Rep. David Valadao against Democrat Randy Villegas, who holds a slight edge in polls, Reuters reported. Villegas called the arrests a "very clear attempt to try and intimidate our communities before this election." He has criticized Valadao for voting to triple ICE's budget. Valadao said in a statement that he understood "the fear and uncertainty immigration enforcement has created for families throughout our communities," and urged the Trump administration to "prioritize the removal of individuals who pose a threat to public safety." "By all metrics, this should be a very close district," Thad Kousser, co-director of UC San Diego's Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections, told Reuters. "Anything that drives voters to or away from the polls could matter." DHS, ICE's parent agency, declined to comment on the California operations, citing officer safety, and did not respond to the voter-intimidation allegations, Reuters reported. The White House referred questions about ICE to DHS. WorkersRights.News [first reported on the Central Valley surge](https://www.workersrights.news/central-valley-ice-arrests-fresno-facility-overwhelmed/) in mid-October, when a state senator said she had heard of an estimated 60 arrests in a single week in parts of Fresno and Merced counties. ### What you can do If you're registered, you can vote through Tuesday no matter what is happening in your town. If anyone questions or blocks you at a polling place, our guide on [what to do if you're challenged at the polls](https://www.workersrights.news/what-to-do-if-challenged-or-intimidated-at-the-polls/) walks through your options. If you're worried about getting to the polls around a shift, check [your state's time-off-to-vote law](https://www.workersrights.news/time-off-to-vote-state-laws-2026/). And if agents show up at your job, read [what to do if ICE comes to your work](https://www.workersrights.news/what-to-do-if-ice-comes-to-your-work/). ### Sources - [ICE raids in a California toss-up district spark accusations of voter intimidation](https://gvwire.com/2026/10/31/ice-raids-spark-accusations-of-voter-intimidation-in-valadaos-toss-up-district/?ref=workersrights.news), Reuters (via GV Wire), Oct. 31, 2026 - [ICE Enforcement Surge Hits Workers Across the Food System](https://civileats.com/2026/10/27/ice-enforcement-surge-hits-workers-across-the-food-system/?ref=workersrights.news), Civil Eats, Oct. 27, 2026 - [ICE Launches 45-Day California Operation](https://southkernsol.org/2026/10/08/ice-launches-45-day-california-operation/?ref=workersrights.news), South Kern Sol, Oct. 8, 2026 - [ICE patrols pummel Central Valley communities weeks before the midterms](https://www.workersrights.news/central-valley-ice-arrests-fresno-facility-overwhelmed/), WorkersRights.News