Central Valley families report fear, detentions as ICE enforcement operation continues

Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across the Central Valley has left families afraid to leave their homes, children worried their parents won’t return, and farmworkers absent from jobs, according to local officials, religious leaders, and residents who spoke publicly this week.

The enforcement activity, which officials say began around October 5, appears connected to what immigration attorney Ana Huerta calls “Operation Safe California,” a 45-day enforcement operation that the Washington Examiner reported began near the San Diego border. ICE has declined to confirm the operation or discuss details, citing officer safety and operational security.

At least three parishioners of the Diocese of Fresno have been detained in recent weeks, including “a mom and a grandma” who has lived in the area for years, according to Bishop Joseph Brennan, who said the diocese does not know where she is being held. Reports describe detentions of people heading to work, at construction sites, shopping centers, and gas stations.

Mendota Mayor Victor Martinez recounted hearing from farmers whose entire crews failed to show up for work. Grower Don Cameron described a conversation with a 10-year-old girl about “fear that her parents might not come home,” he said at a Friday meeting of local, state, and federal leaders at Mendota City Council Chambers.

Congressman David Valadao told constituents that DHS said enforcement is focused on people with active warrants and known criminal histories. Immigration attorney Ana Huerta disputed that characterization: “We know that that’s certainly not true. We know people are being targeted on their way to work, they may have never had interaction with immigration enforcement, they may have never had any interaction with criminal legal enforcement.”

Congressman Adam Gray said he has contacted ICE with questions including why the operations are taking place and where people are being taken. ICE has repeatedly responded that it cannot discuss law enforcement operations and that DHS enforces the nation’s laws every day.

Bishop Brennan said the Diocese has seen ICE agents near churches but not on church grounds, and has encouraged pastors to move religious education programs online. According to DHS, ICE agents have the authority to enter places of worship and make arrests.

The reported enforcement activity comes one week after an off-duty ICE agent, David Gonzalez, was shot by a 72-year-old Fresno man following a confrontation outside a home at Dudley and Broadway. Investigators said the homeowner’s daughter found Gonzalez sleeping in the front yard, and that Gonzalez, who appeared intoxicated, attacked the homeowner and his daughter when confronted. Gonzalez now faces three felony counts and had held his ICE position for less than a year.

Mendota Mayor Martinez said volunteers are helping deliver groceries to people who do not want to leave their homes. Casita Feliz Latine LGBTQ+ Center in Fresno’s Tower District said it is seeing increased demand for its services.

The Breakdown

• ICE enforcement activity across the Central Valley, reportedly beginning around October 5, appears connected to “Operation Safe California,” a 45-day operation immigration attorneys say mirrors enforcement Kern County saw in 2025.
• Local officials report detentions of at least three Diocese of Fresno parishioners, people heading to work, and individuals at construction sites, shopping centers, and gas stations — accounts that immigration attorney Ana Huerta says contradict DHS claims that enforcement targets only people with warrants and criminal histories.
• ICE has declined to confirm the operation or discuss where detained individuals are being held, citing officer safety and operational security.
• Bishop Brennan said ICE agents have been seen near churches but not on church grounds, and that DHS policy permits ICE to enter places of worship and make arrests.
• Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea said the City Council will bring forward an item next week to re-establish the city’s legal immigrant defense fund.

What This Means for You

This is federal immigration policy — set by the President and carried out by agencies under his administration — playing out in your community. The enforcement operations described here are executive-branch decisions about how to prioritize and conduct immigration enforcement, and voters weigh those decisions when they vote for President.

It also matters at the local level: Fresno City Council’s upcoming vote on re-establishing a legal defense fund is a choice the council makes about how the city responds to federal enforcement, and voters judge that choice when they vote for council members.

If you or someone you know is affected by immigration enforcement, Jesus Ibañez, an immigration attorney with the Community Agency for Resources, Advocacy and Services (CARAS), discussed what residents should know in a FOX26 interview earlier this week.

What You Can Do

The Fresno City Council will consider re-establishing the city’s legal immigrant defense fund at an upcoming meeting this week, according to Councilmember Annalisa Perea. Watch for the agenda to be posted at fresno.gov to learn the date and time, and to submit public comment or attend.

Casita Feliz Latine LGBTQ+ Center in the Tower District is providing services and organizing community responses, including protests planned for Saturday night. No Kings Day demonstrations are also planned nationwide on Saturday.

What to Watch

ICE has refused to answer Congressman Adam Gray’s questions about why the operations are taking place and where detained individuals are being held. Bishop Brennan said the Diocese does not know where a detained parishioner is. That is a refusal to account for the use of federal enforcement authority in this community — not operational security, accountability. What would settle this: ICE publicly stating the criteria it is actually using for detentions, the number of people detained, where they are being held, and whether any of them have been released or deported.

The material documents two competing accounts of who is being targeted. DHS told Congressman Valadao that enforcement focuses on people with active warrants and known criminal histories. Immigration attorney Ana Huerta and local officials say people are being detained on their way to work, at construction sites and gas stations, with no stated criminal history or warrant. What would settle this: ICE releasing the enforcement records for the detentions reported in Fresno and Mendota — the stated reason for each detention, whether a warrant was involved, and what criminal history, if any, the agency had documented for each person detained.

The shooting of off-duty ICE agent David Gonzalez raises a separate question about who ICE is hiring and how it screens agents. Gonzalez held the position for less than a year and now faces three felony counts after investigators say he appeared intoxicated, trespassed on private property, and attacked a 72-year-old homeowner and his daughter. What would settle this: ICE’s hiring and screening records for Gonzalez, including any background checks, prior complaints, or disciplinary actions, and whether the agency reviews the conduct of agents charged with felonies.