What's at stake?
More than 200 people have been taken.
More than 200 people have been detained since early October amid Fresno-area ICE raids, Nora Zaragoza-Yáñez, program manager at Faith in the Valley’s watch network, confirmed with Fresnoland.
But the estimate, Zaragoza-Yáñez said, is not complete as families often contact Faith in the Valley days or weeks after a detention, as they first try to determine what happened to their loved ones and where to seek help.
People released from ICE custody in the Central Valley return home to families across the country. The network has helped people return to at least 29 states, with Texas, Utah, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington among the most frequent destinations.
“We’re the first folks to greet them back into society, back into the community, and let them know that they’re safe, and that we can help them and their families coordinate their travel logistics to get back home,” Zaragoza-Yáñez said.
Volunteers typically have three to four people working shifts to help arrange flights, print boarding passes and escort people to the airport or other transportation. Some families book their own tickets, while others rely on volunteers to make reservations with them over the phone or through video calls.
The right-leaning Washington Examiner, citing a confidential source, first reported on Oct. 7, that ICE was increasing its presence in the state through “Operation Safe California.” The escalation is expected to last 45 days, the newspaper reported, leading into the midterm elections.
Tension in the community has risen as waves of videos of ICE arrests continue to be shared on social media and ongoing protests have not slowed down. Parents and the community have demanded local leaders and law enforcement for tangible action around the ICE surge.
‘There’s no words to describe the cruelty that’s happening’
Many of those released from ICE offices in Fresno and Bakersfield had filed habeas corpus petitions on their own. Many people detained are, now more than ever, working with others detained to file petitions in hope it will lead to their release.
Since September, 8,411 petitions have been filed in the Eastern District of California. It continues to be the highest rate across the country, according to analysis by Propublica.
Unlike other parts of the country, where people may be released through the front doors of detention centers, Zaragoza-Yáñez said, those released in the Central Valley often have to navigate the process with few personal belongings and limited resources.
People may be released with only a green card, passport, or cellphone, items that offer limited proof of identity, Zaragoza-Yáñez said. They are given mesh onion bags to carry their belongings. They may not get back their identification documents, work permits or wallets, and their cellphones may not work or need to be charged.
The reality, she said, is that federal agents are conducting traffic stops, many masked up, and are creating “credible fear of our communities, regardless if they have status or not, of being racially profiled.”
“There’s no words to describe the cruelty that’s happening,” Zaragoza-Yáñez said. “And quite frankly, it’s the hunting. You can’t phrase it any other way.”
She’s seen an increase of out-of-state agents operating in the during the Fresno-area ICE raids, a majority of them being from Texas. The network and community has seen license plates from Mississippi, Arizona, New Mexico and others around southern border states.
Agents appear to be using longstanding tactics going back to January 2025, including racial profiling, to identify and detain people, critics have said.
Zaragoza-Yáñez described agents targeting people who appear to be Latino, Hispanic or Haitian, particularly those driving early in the morning to work in construction, agriculture or landscaping. Vehicles agents, who are driving as early as 3am, are using large trucks, SUVs and passenger vans that can carry multiple people.
Agents have also been stopping at gas stations and convenience stores, where workers often gather before their shifts. She described workers stopping for pan dulce and coffee with colleagues while a driver pumps gas as part of their regular morning routine.
A federal judge recently barred ICE agents across Southern California from detaining people solely based on their Latino appearance or perceived working-class status, requiring agents to establish individualized reasonable suspicion.
Zaragoza-Yáñez said families who report loved ones’ detentions have shared accounts suggesting that agents frequently may already have information about the immigration status of drivers when they detain passengers in the same vehicle.
She fears agents could be using license-plate readers and surveillance cameras to identify people by cross-referencing vehicle registration information with immigration databases.
Many people released from detention, Zaragoza-Yáñez said, described being arrested during traffic stops in states with more conservative policies or 287(g) agreements, in which local law enforcement can assist federal immigration authorities.
Traffic stops have been among the more prominent methods of detention, Zaragoza-Yáñez said, since the uptick began last month.
Courthouse arrests are another tactic that has resurfaced, Zaragoza-Yáñez said. When someone is booked into jail, their fingerprints can be checked against multiple databases, including immigration records. Even if criminal charges are still pending and the person has not been formally arraigned, Zaragoza-Yáñez said, agents may already know the person’s identity and upcoming court hearing.
A final, landmark ruling in September on a federal case in New York struck down the Trump administration’s policy that allowed agents to arrest people for showing up to court and prevent them from pursuing their immigration cases.
Courthouse arrests began increasing in parts of the Central Valley before the latest surge, Zaragoza-Yáñez said, particularly in August, September and October.
“They’re going after hardworking people,” Zaragoza-Yáñez said. “They’re here in our communities just to provide for their families, to have a chance of a better life, of that American dream.”
