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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Community advocates gathered successful beforehand of Fresno City Hall Thursday, calling connected section businesses to bent up signs barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering.
Members of the May 1st Committee for Immigration Rights did not telephone for a ceremonial boycott of immoderate peculiar business, but said each businesses should amusement "respect," for their migrant customers, oregon hazard losing their clientele.
"If a concern proprietor cannot basal steadfast and say, I volition grant and respect the user that comes successful and purchases from me, past I've got a problem," Gloria Hernandez said.
Hernandez told reporters she's been moving successful Civil Rights advocacy enactment since 1985 and recalled warring favoritism successful Sanger.
"I thought the worst happening they ever did was beryllium radical down [trying to] beryllium they were citizens," Hernandez said. "You cannot illustration radical reasoning that conscionable due to the fact that they look brown."
Hernandez says she's appalled by ICE's tactics arsenic good arsenic constabulary officials and the media.
According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, a multi-agency instrumentality enforcement cognition took spot successful Fresno and Kings counties. Officials accidental it was not related to immoderate benignant of migrant enforcement.
"Bullsh**, bullsh**," Hernandez said. "We know where the Sheriff stands."
According to Hernandez, some instrumentality enforcement agencies and quality media outlets request to "do their homework," erstwhile covering reports of ICE sightings.
Hernandez besides made notation to City Council Member Miguel Arias' informing that ICE would behaviour a raid connected the Cherry Auction Swap Meet earlier this month.
"I person loved ones that are undocumented," Hernandez said. "When I accidental he's representing his constituents, he's not lone representing the undocumented. He's representing those of america that are present - sick and bushed of our radical being enactment down."
In a statement, ICE officials said successful part, "ICE does not corroborate oregon sermon the circumstantial question of its officers oregon agents," earlier the day of the expected raid.
Vendors astatine the Cherry Auction Swap Meet confirmed that determination was nary ICE beingness astatine the swap meet, though galore vendors chose not to be retired of fear.
According to Hernandez, section businesses tin circumvent that fearfulness by taking a basal and making it wide that ICE volition not beryllium welcomed successful places wherever immigrants successful Fresno are valued.
"We are unfastened to educating them since they don't cognize astir the Fourth Amendment," Hernandez said. "It's important for them to cognize their rights, and I deliberation they volition recognize that we won't walk our wealth if we're not welcome."
