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ICE patrols pummel Central Valley communities weeks before the midterms

Farmworkers are the hardest hit. A state senator estimates 60 arrests in her district in a week. DHS won't release numbers.

ICE patrols pummel Central Valley communities weeks before the midterms
Stock photo. Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash

Immigration agents have been arresting workers across California's San Joaquin Valley since early October, and no one outside the Department of Homeland Security knows how many people have been taken. State Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Merced), who represents parts of Fresno and Merced, told KQED she had heard of an estimated 60 arrests in her communities in a single week. Her spokesperson, Elisa Rivera, said "the facility in downtown Fresno is having trouble processing" the people being brought in, and that legal observers have had little luck getting access.

DHS has released no numbers. Its answer to reporters: "For operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations."

Who's being picked up

Farmworker organizers told the Los Angeles Times that patrols were first reported Oct. 6. Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers, condemned a "brutal ICE surge" and said the farmworkers detained are "not criminals." Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco said eight residents were taken in less than 48 hours (Fresnoland).

An operation without an official name

On Sept. 26, DHS announced a "nationwide public safety surge in sanctuary cities." In early October, the Washington Examiner, citing unnamed Homeland Security sources, reported a 45-day California push called "Operation Safe California." DHS has not confirmed the name or the operation.

Asked on Oct. 9 about reports that ICE was ramping up arrests before the midterms, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, "We're not ramping up anything" (Mediaite). DHS has offered no arrest figures to back that up, and the numbers on the ground point the other way: vans arriving at the Fresno ICE office jumped from a couple a day to 10 to 15, CalMatters reported. At the same news conference, Mullin said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had agreed to help ICE target "over 100" people; her office called that account "inaccurate" (Documented).

Between the reported arrests, the overloaded Fresno office, and the talk of a named California operation, something out of the ordinary is happening in the Valley. What's missing is an official account of how big it is and who ordered it.

Who pays

California has one-third of the nation's agricultural workforce, the California Farm Bureau noted. When workers are detained or stay home out of fear, families lose paychecks in the middle of the season. Fresno City Council member Miguel Arias told the Times, "We're seeing very few people out in the streets." Gov. Gavin Newsom said President Trump is using "fear and panic as a weapon."

The Nov. 3 election is about two weeks away. Lawyers are fighting for access to detainees, and election integrity advocates are concerned that aggressive DHS activity will deter eligible voters from casting their ballots.

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