7 months ago
19
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Immigration raids began stoking fears successful the Valley past month. They started connected January 7 in Kern County.
Officials called it "Operation Return to Sender."
Video from a Bakersfield Chevron shows Border Patrol agents questioning Latino customers.
Between January 7 and January 9, agents detained 78 immigrants arsenic portion of that operation.
RELATED: 78 immigrants detained by Border Patrol passim the Central Valley, officials say
The crackdown prompted an exigency property league successful Fresno, wherever Congressman Jim Costa shared his speech with the CBP commissioner.
"I asked whether oregon not that was the grade of it," Rep. Costa said connected January 11. "He told maine that they had concluded their effort arsenic a effect of their apprehension arsenic of a time oregon 2 agone and that they would reassess wherever they would spell from there."
As officials briefed the media, acrophobic citizens took to the streets. Hundreds protested successful North Fresno for more than 12 hours that weekend.
"How americium I going to permission successful the morning?" farmworker Gabriel Viarolin said successful Spanish connected January 12.
"I enactment successful Madera, and I heard they were connected Seventh Street successful Madera," helium said. "I transverse that thoroughfare each day. How americium I going to transverse that thoroughfare again? I'm going to enactment location instead."
There were soon reports of Border Patrol agents successful Fresno County, and the fig of detained immigrants ballooned from 78 to more than 190 successful little than a week.
RELATED: Over 190 radical detained successful Border Patrol cognition successful Central Valley
President Trump was conscionable taking office.
"I volition nonstop troops to the Southern Border to repel the disastrous penetration of our country," the president said astatine his Inauguration connected January 20.
The president instantly signed Executive Orders declaring a nationalist emergency.
In the Valley, immigrants scrambled to understand their rights.
"It's truly important we amusement them that they person rights, but we besides springiness them the worldly to transportation with them to beryllium capable to workout those rights," advocator Flor Martinez-Zaragoza said connected January 30. She was distributing red cards with accusation astir resources and rights for immigrants.
It had been conscionable 3 weeks since the archetypal raid successful Kern County.
The fears and furor kept growing. From UC Merced to Sanger, demonstrators stood successful solidarity.
"No fear. No hate. No ICE successful our state," a protester chanted connected February 3.
Hundreds stayed location from enactment and school, and they boycotted businesses. It was a "Day Without Immigrants."
"There's galore of us," protester Reyna Medrano said. "We are the children of immigrants, and we are present to combat for the rights of our radical and our families."
RELATED: Valley demonstrators basal successful solidarity for 'Day Without Immigrants'
But not everybody has been protesting.
Some section leaders are doubling down. Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce pushed to marque Clovis the archetypal non-sanctuary metropolis successful the county.
"Nothing is much important than tracking down those who would harm members of our community," she wrote online.
But the video that captured the archetypal raid successful Bakersfield past period showed national agents casting a wider net. It is that world Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez says is present spreading done the community.
"I had a gathering with a batch of cultivation leaders," Chavez said connected Wednesday. "They're inactive seeing a batch of fearfulness and angst successful our community. Folks are conscionable not showing up to work."
Several schoolhouse districts have reported precocious absenteeism among migrant students successful caller weeks.
President Trump keeps doubling down, saying anyone who is successful the state illegally tin and volition beryllium deported.
For quality updates, travel Gabe Ferris connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Copyright © 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.
