As ICE Raids Continue, Fresno Churches, Businesses, and Advocates Report Empty Pews, Lost Sales, and Masked Agents
An immigration enforcement operation that began in early October and was set to last at least 45 days has left Fresno churches with hundreds fewer worshipers, vendors at local auctions and swap meets reporting sales worse than during the pandemic, and advocates calling for new laws to require ICE agents to identify themselves.
Father José Sánchez, pastor of St. Anthony Mary Claret Church in southeast Fresno, estimates at least 500 fewer people have attended Sunday mass in recent weeks out of the roughly 5,000 who normally come. Weekend donations have fallen by 10 to 15%. Religious education classes for youth were canceled because parents were afraid to drop off their kids.
“We know they have a reason to be afraid and to want to avoid going out to public places,” Sánchez said.
At the Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji temple, also in southeast Fresno, volunteer Paramjot Singh said “super devoted people” who normally attend have stopped coming. “You see them and you want to be like them, but when you see that they’re not coming anymore because of [the] stuff that’s going on, it makes you… wish that they were here,” Singh said.
Lucio Enrique Saravia-Ramos, a U.S. citizen who sells women’s clothing at the Cherry Auction in Fresno and at swap meets in Selma and Hanford, said he has seen fewer customers in recent weeks. “Many of my fellow workers have stopped working,” he said. “It’s just too much.” On some days, he said, “I end up with less money than I started with, because I don’t manage to sell enough.” He pays $48 for his auction space, on top of food and gasoline.
Miguel Ángel Cueba-Pérez, 60, who sells goods at the Fresno fairgrounds auction on Sundays, said “It’s very slow, there are no customers, so we aren’t making any sales. Most of us are going through this.”
Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno issued a pastoral letter in mid-October telling the diocese’s roughly one million Catholics that the church would not be silent about the anxiety and fear of its parishioners. Brennan said he was opposed to “indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” He said “even if you have not been personally affected by the increased immigration enforcement in our region, many of those who sit alongside you in the pews have been affected, with some already having been detained.”
Father Sánchez recalled an incident last year where ICE agents forced a church volunteer — a U.S. citizen born and raised in Fresno — into a van outside a Vallarta supermarket. “It was a terrible experience for him. It was traumatic,” Sánchez said. “To know that you’re an American citizen, that you were born here, raised here, and yet you’re treated this way, as if you have no rights whatsoever.” The parishioner still attends mass, Sánchez said, but he isn’t the same.
Fresno advocates say the enforcement operations have included masked agents or people impersonating agents who lack identification. California does not currently have a valid law requiring ICE agents to identify themselves. The state legislature passed a mask ban earlier this year, but a federal judge blocked it in February, ruling that it singled out federal officers and did not apply equally to state and local police.
In early October, daycare worker Victoria Ford said she witnessed a traffic stop near Shields and West in which a man in plain clothes first identified himself as being with the fictional “Kerman County Parole.” The man wore a cami-green bulletproof vest with the words “police work” and ordered a woman of color out of her car under threat of physical removal, Ford said. Two other men joined him, one wearing what Ford called a Halloween-costume badge and the other wearing a face mask. “Were they ICE agents, traffickers? We still don’t know,” Ford said at an Oct. 19 assembly hosted by United San Joaquin.
Dr. Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana, regional partnerships specialist at the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative, said “You’re picking up people off the streets in a way that is so violent that you don’t know if it’s another organized crime group. We don’t know if it’s immigration because again, they’re not having their cars marked or anything. So of course, people are going to be scared.”
Fresno Resistance co-founder Alfred Aldrete accused agents of pepper-spraying both his brother Noah and himself on Oct. 14. Video from that day shows agents pushing Noah into a car and knocking Alfred’s phone from his hand and throwing him down, with a police car parked nearby. “These masks give these goons just enough confidence to become physical and abuse not only the kidnapped community members but also become physical with peaceful protesters and assault some,” Aldrete said.
Mayor Jerry Dyer, the city’s longtime former police chief, said at the Oct. 19 assembly that “If they want to focus on immigration, it should be on the worst of the worst.” He called for a unified local response but acknowledged limits on what local government can do. “We’re not going to go out and arrest ICE,” Dyer said. “We can’t do anything that’s going to be positive not to wear masks. But we need to be very vocal and say that we don’t want ICE doing what they’ve been doing within our community.”
Sheriff John Zanoni urged residents to be responsible when sharing information on social media, saying videos have incorrectly identified sheriff’s deputies on the auto theft task force as ICE agents. “When you see this uniform, you see the sheriff’s office. Know that we are not immigration enforcement officers,” Zanoni said. He acknowledged concerns about federal agents wearing face masks or not identifying themselves and said “that’s not how we do business or major operations.” Zanoni added that ICE could do a better job communicating with the sheriff’s office about its enforcement activities.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who authored the blocked mask ban, said he plans to introduce a new bill that would extend the ban to state officers as well, though no new deadlines have been announced. On Oct. 14, a federal appeals court ruled against a separate California law requiring ICE officers to show visible identification. Wiener called the ruling “a huge win” and said it supports the law’s constitutionality and could pave the way for its application to all law enforcement.
The Breakdown
- An immigration enforcement operation that began in early October and was set to last at least 45 days has reduced attendance at Fresno churches and sales at local auctions and swap meets, according to vendors, clergy, and volunteers interviewed.
- St. Anthony Mary Claret Church reports at least 500 fewer people attending Sunday mass out of roughly 5,000, with weekend donations down 10 to 15%. The Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji temple reports a drop in attendance among regular worshipers.
- Vendors at the Cherry Auction in Fresno and the Fresno fairgrounds auction report fewer customers and sales worse than during the pandemic.
- Advocates report an uptick in operations involving masked agents or people impersonating agents who lack identification. California’s mask ban for ICE agents, passed earlier this year, was blocked by a federal judge in February.
- Activists allege that ICE agents pepper-sprayed protesters, pushed them, and knocked a phone from a protester’s hand on Oct. 14. A daycare worker reported witnessing what appeared to be impersonators conducting a traffic stop near Shields and West in early October.
- Mayor Jerry Dyer and Sheriff John Zanoni both spoke at an Oct. 19 assembly, with Dyer calling for ICE to focus on “the worst of the worst” and Zanoni acknowledging concerns about masked federal agents and saying that’s “not how we do business.”
- State Sen. Scott Wiener plans to introduce a new bill extending the mask ban to state officers, though no deadline has been announced.
What This Means for You
Immigration enforcement operations are emptying Fresno churches, hurting local vendors’ sales, and leaving residents uncertain whether masked individuals conducting stops are federal agents, impersonators, or organized crime. The Mayor and Sheriff both publicly called for changes in tactics but acknowledged they cannot stop federal enforcement operations. The state legislature passed a mask ban for ICE agents, but a federal court blocked it, and no new version has been introduced with a timeline.
When you vote for Mayor and Sheriff, you are voting for how those officials will respond when federal agencies conduct operations here — and whether they will push for state or local laws that could require identification or limit tactics.
What You Can Do
If you witness what you believe to be impersonators posing as law enforcement, Sheriff John Zanoni said to contact the sheriff’s office. Daycare worker Victoria Ford reported calling the Valley Watch Network and providing license plate numbers when she witnessed a suspicious traffic stop.
The Diocese of Fresno issued a pastoral letter in mid-October to roughly one million Catholics in the diocese. If you are a parishioner, you can ask your priest or congregation leadership how the church is responding to parishioners’ concerns.
State Sen. Scott Wiener plans to introduce a new bill extending the mask ban to state officers, though no deadline has been announced. You can contact your state legislator to ask about their position on the bill when it is introduced.
What to Watch
The material states ICE agents pepper-sprayed, pushed, and physically assaulted activists on Oct. 14, according to Fresno Resistance co-founder Alfred Aldrete. Video shows agents pushing Aldrete’s brother Noah into a car, knocking Alfred’s phone from his hand, and throwing him down, with a police car parked nearby. On Oct. 13, video shows agents shining bright lights at activists, surrounding one individual, and calling another activist “a bitch.” The material does not state whether any formal complaint, lawsuit, or investigation has been filed against ICE or the agents involved. A formal complaint, a lawsuit, or an investigation opened by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General or the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice would show whether these allegations are being investigated.
A daycare worker reported witnessing what appeared to be impersonators conducting a traffic stop near Shields and West in early October, with one man claiming to be with the fictional “Kerman County Parole” and wearing a vest with the words “police work.” The material does not state whether a criminal investigation was opened or whether any of the men were identified. A police report, an arrest, or a statement from the Fresno Police Department would show whether this incident is being investigated as criminal impersonation.
The material states that ICE agents are operating in Fresno under a 45-day enforcement operation that began in early October. The material does not state how many people have been detained, where they are being held, or what criteria ICE is using to select targets. A public statement from ICE, a detention log, or a response to a Freedom of Information Act request would show who is being detained and on what grounds.
The Mayor and Sheriff both said they cannot stop ICE operations but called for ICE to change its tactics. The material does not state whether either official has formally requested a meeting with ICE leadership, filed a formal complaint with the Department of Homeland Security, or asked the City Council or Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution. A City Council agenda item, a Board of Supervisors resolution, or a letter from the Mayor or Sheriff to federal officials would show whether local government is taking formal action beyond public statements.
State Sen. Scott Wiener plans to introduce a new bill extending the mask ban to state officers, but the material does not state a timeline or whether the bill would also reintroduce a ban on federal agents wearing masks. A bill introduction, a co-sponsor list, or a statement from Wiener’s office would show what the new bill contains and when it might move.
The material states that vendors at local auctions and swap meets report sales worse than during the pandemic, and that St. Anthony Mary Claret Church reports weekend donations down 10 to 15%. The material does not state the dollar figure of those losses or whether other Fresno businesses or nonprofits are tracking similar impacts. A survey of Fresno businesses, a report from the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, or financial statements from churches and nonprofits would show the broader economic impact of the enforcement operation.
