Bishop Brennan Calls ICE Raids in Central Valley ‘Indiscriminate,’ Urges Immigration Reform
Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno says federal immigration enforcement operations across California’s Central Valley are separating families from their communities “with little regard for the dignity of the human person.”
In a pastoral letter released recently, Brennan said priests across the diocese — which covers a large portion of the southern Central Valley including Fresno — report that parishioners “have been taken away abruptly and with little or no information coming from federal agents.” Some have already been detained, he said.
“Many of those caught up in this recent immigration enforcement in our Valley are not strangers to us — they are family, neighbors, and parishioners who are being uprooted from the lives they have built over many years among us,” Brennan wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have not announced any specific operations targeting California or the Central Valley. A DHS spokesperson told the news outlet that reported Brennan’s letter that “for operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations,” but confirmed that “every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California.”
The spokesperson defended the enforcement: “To most Americans our ICE officers are heroes as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists.” The spokesperson provided a list of five people labeled “public safety threats” arrested in California, convicted of crimes including vehicular manslaughter, aggravated assault with a gun, burglary, homicide, and selling drugs.
Brennan cited a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops vote — 216 to 5 during the 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly — opposing “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” He said the current Central Valley operations “seem to have taken on an indiscriminate nature.”
“Our Church teaches that every human person possesses an inherent dignity,” the bishop wrote. “This dignity is not granted by governments, economic status, citizenship, or legal documentation. It is given by God.”
Brennan called on “our country and our elected officials” to deliver “tangible results that reflect meaningful and just immigration reform,” saying “our elected officials must do better.”
The diocese will “accompany our vulnerable neighbors in concrete, sustained ways,” Brennan said, including walking with families through legal proceedings, showing up at immigration court, organizing transportation and childcare, and “refusing to let anyone face this situation alone.”
The Breakdown
- ICE and DHS have not publicly announced specific operations in the Central Valley, but local media have reported a surge in enforcement in recent weeks.
- Bishop Brennan says priests report congregants being detained “abruptly and with little or no information” from federal agents.
- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted 216-5 to oppose “indiscriminate mass deportation” in 2025; Brennan says current operations appear indiscriminate.
- DHS defends enforcement as targeting “public safety threats” and provided examples of five California arrests of people convicted of serious crimes.
- The Diocese of Fresno plans to provide legal support, court accompaniment, transportation, and childcare for affected families.
What This Means for You
Immigration enforcement is a federal policy directed by the elected President’s administration through DHS and ICE. How aggressively that policy is carried out, whom it targets, and whether it separates long-term community members from their families are decisions shaped by who voters put in the White House and Congress.
Brennan’s letter describes parishioners being detained without clear information. The question before voters in future federal elections is whether this level and style of enforcement reflects the policy you want, or whether you want elected officials who will pursue the “meaningful and just immigration reform” Brennan calls for.
What You Can Do
The Diocese of Fresno is organizing support for affected families, including legal accompaniment, transportation, and childcare. Contact your parish or the diocese directly for information on how to help or access services.
Bishop Brennan calls on “our elected officials” to deliver immigration reform. To press for that, contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators. Their offices’ contact information is available on their official .gov websites.
What to Watch
DHS provided examples of five California arrests involving people convicted of serious crimes, but the material does not state how many people total have been detained in the Central Valley, what percentage had criminal convictions, or what criteria ICE used to select targets. Brennan says the operations appear “indiscriminate” and that priests report congregants being taken “abruptly and with little or no information.” DHS has not released those details.
The material does not document any independent review of whether the operations are in fact targeting serious criminals, as DHS claims, or sweeping up long-term residents without serious criminal records, as Brennan’s letter describes. An actual count of who has been detained, what their criminal histories are, and how long they lived in the community would settle whether the enforcement matches the administration’s stated priority or Brennan’s characterization.
Who benefits and who suffers: The administration’s position is that enforcement protects public safety by removing convicted criminals. Brennan’s position is that the operations are separating families and community members who have built lives here over many years. The material does not state how many of those detained fall into each category, or whether families are being given information about where detained members are or when they can expect hearings. That information gap leaves both claims unverifiable from this material alone.
What would immigration reform look like in practice, and which elected officials are willing to vote for it? Brennan calls for “tangible results,” but the material does not state what specific legislation he supports or which members of Congress representing the Central Valley have committed to it. Voters weighing this issue in future elections need to know not just that a candidate says they support reform, but what that reform would actually do and whether it has a realistic path to passage.
