ICE Detains Multiple Residents in West Park and Across Fresno Area; Families Report Health Concerns in Custody

Immigration officers detained at least five people in a single afternoon in West Park, a small unincorporated community southwest of Fresno, according to residents who witnessed the encounters Monday. The detentions were part of what multiple sources describe as increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across Fresno and Madera counties this week, with families now searching for detained relatives who have been transferred to facilities more than an hour south of Fresno.

Selina Castillo, who grew up in West Park, told FOX26 she recorded cellphone video as officers detained four men and one woman on Prospect Avenue around 1:30 p.m. Monday. “They pulled up on them right as they got home from work,” Castillo said. Earlier that morning, around 7:30 a.m., a man had been detained at Saber’s Market near Prospect and Jensen avenues, according to community members.

The West Park School District sent a notice to families via ParentSquare stating it had been informed of ICE detentions in the community, would not share information about immigration status with immigration authorities, and asked parents or legal guardians to be at bus stops to receive their children.

In a separate case, Elaina Salazar says her father, Luis Arreguin, was detained around 5 a.m. last week while on his way to work. “No warrant, just working off of a tip, and they let him know that as he was being detained, ‘Hey, we know you didn’t do anything wrong, but we’re here,'” Salazar told FOX26. She says her 54-year-old father has lived in Fresno since he was five and provides for their family.

Salazar says her father has high blood pressure and that his condition has been elevated for days in custody. “He had a high blood pressure of 198 over 80 for multiple days,” she said. She also expressed concern about what would happen if her father were deported to Mexico, “where he doesn’t truly speak the language and he has no resources, and he dies there.”

According to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement data cited by Salazar’s family, 36 people have died in ICE custody during the 2026 fiscal year.

A Mendota family told FOX26 their grandfather was detained by ICE officers in Fresno on Monday while driving to buy parts for a car he was working on at his mechanic shop. The family says he was pulled over and detained at the ICE office in downtown Fresno, then transferred to a facility in McFarland in Kern County. The family was told Tuesday morning that everyone picked up Monday had already been transferred to the McFarland facility.

Congressman Jim Costa says he is aware of ICE activity in the Central Valley and is working with local and federal officials, as well as advocates, in response. Costa is asking people to report immigration enforcement activity to his office.

Fresno City Council member Esmeralda Soria said, “As a daughter of immigrants, I am really terrified for families if, in fact, people are detained and are unlawfully detained.” Soria said that while her office cannot provide legal assistance, it can connect families with resources and information.

An ICE spokesperson told Action News the incidents are routine enforcement operations, adding that ICE arrests undocumented immigrants in Fresno every day.

Protesters gathered in Madera at Gateway Drive and Yosemite Avenue, holding signs and flags and chanting for ICE to “get out.” “We are out here trying to spread awareness that ICE is ripping people’s families apart,” one protester said.

In West Park, residents said neighbors drove through the community checking on families and sharing information. “We are a very tight-knit community,” Castillo said. “Everybody is family. Everybody looks out for one another.” Residents offered to help parents who were afraid to leave their homes, including picking up children from school.

The Valley Watch Network, a volunteer group, is outside the Fresno ICE facility nearly every day of the week, according to volunteers Mark Godfrey and Tamara Treisman. “We’re a group of volunteers that come out here six or seven days a week to support the people checking in, families of those who have been detained and then also individuals that are released from detention,” Treisman said. Volunteers provide clothing, food and travel assistance, including rides to train stations and airports.

The Breakdown

• ICE detained at least five people in West Park on Monday afternoon, plus a sixth person earlier that morning, according to residents and cellphone video. A Mendota man was also detained Monday, and at least one other person was detained last week.
• Detainees are being transferred to a facility in McFarland, more than an hour south of Fresno, according to families.
• Elaina Salazar says her father has had elevated blood pressure (198 over 80) for multiple days in custody and that he was detained without a warrant, based on a tip.
• Federal ICE data cited by Salazar’s family shows 36 people have died in ICE custody during the 2026 fiscal year.
• An ICE spokesperson said the incidents are routine enforcement operations and that ICE arrests undocumented immigrants in Fresno every day.
• Congressman Jim Costa is working with local and federal officials in response and asking people to report immigration enforcement activity to his office. Councilmember Esmeralda Soria said her office can connect families with resources.

What This Means for You

If you have school-age children, the West Park School District’s response shows how enforcement activity can ripple into daily routines — parents being told to meet buses personally because of detentions in the area.

If you or someone you know is detained, Congressman Costa’s office is asking for reports of enforcement activity and Councilmember Soria’s office says it can connect families with resources, though it cannot provide legal assistance directly. The Valley Watch Network is outside the Fresno ICE facility nearly every day and provides material support to people released from detention.

What You Can Do

Congressman Jim Costa is asking people to report immigration enforcement activity to his office. Fresno City Council member Esmeralda Soria said her office can connect families with resources and information, though it cannot provide legal assistance directly.

The Valley Watch Network has volunteers outside the Fresno ICE facility six or seven days a week to support families of detained individuals and people released from detention. The United Farm Workers has posted a statement on social media reminding people of their rights.

What to Watch

Salazar says her father was detained “working off of a tip” with no warrant, and that officers told him “we know you didn’t do anything wrong, but we’re here.” If that’s accurate, it raises a real question about the standard ICE is using for enforcement in Fresno — whether an agency tip alone, with no alleged crime and no warrant, is enough to justify a detention that separates a 30-year resident from his family. What would confirm or rule this out: the actual legal standard ICE is operating under for these detentions, and whether a court or oversight body has reviewed the basis for each arrest.

Salazar says her father’s blood pressure has been 198 over 80 for multiple days in custody. What would confirm adequate care: medical records from the facility showing what treatment he’s received, and an independent health assessment, not just the facility’s own say-so that he’s fine.

The material cites federal ICE data showing 36 people have died in ICE custody during the 2026 fiscal year. That’s not a projection or an estimate — it’s a documented count.

Families say detainees are being transferred to McFarland, more than an hour south of Fresno, making visits harder for relatives without transportation or time off work. The question is whether the transfer is operationally necessary or whether it functions as an added barrier to the kind of outside contact and oversight that might surface neglect or mistreatment.

An ICE spokesperson called these “routine enforcement operations” and said ICE arrests undocumented immigrants in Fresno every day. That framing treats the detentions as business as usual, not a surge. But the material documents multiple families reporting enforcement activity this week, a school district sending a notice home, and protesters gathering in Madera — none of which suggests this feels routine to the people living through it. What would settle it: ICE’s own data on how many people were detained in Fresno/Madera counties this week compared to prior weeks, and whether the agency considers residential detentions like the one in West Park standard practice or a departure from prior protocol.