Fresno Mayor Dyer Condemns Federal Immigration Sweeps as Threat to Community Trust and Local Economy

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer condemned what he called “concerning and disturbing” federal immigration enforcement sweeps across the Central Valley, warning Friday that the operations are creating widespread fear, disrupting the region’s agricultural workforce, and eroding trust in law enforcement at a time when residents are already struggling with high costs for fuel and groceries.

The operations, expected to continue for roughly 45 days according to Nisei Farmers League President Manuel Cunha Jr., have resulted in detentions at packing houses, construction sites, and during traffic stops across Fresno, Madera, Selma, Parlier, Kerman, Mendota and Chowchilla. Cunha estimated roughly 100 people have been detained in just the past few days, though DHS declined to confirm that figure.

An owner of Fowler Packing Company contacted Dyer Friday morning to report several employees had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and others were refusing to show up to work out of fear, according to Dyer. Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran said one resident in her city — which has a roughly 98 percent Latino population — who was in a nursing program was detained and is facing deportation.

“It’s unnecessary and it is unacceptable, and is that really what we voted for in America? I don’t believe so. I know I didn’t,” Dyer said during a Friday press conference at the Nisei Farmers League offices in Fresno.

Dyer, the city’s former police chief, said he has seen videos of children crying as their parents were detained. “It’s something that they will remember their entire life, and it also causes them to distrust law enforcement,” he said.

The sweeps come as citrus harvest is set to begin next week in the Valley. Democratic Rep. Jim Costa warned that disruptions to the agricultural workforce could have consequences beyond the region, calling a stable agriculture industry a matter of national security.

Costa said the Trump administration has stated it is targeting the “worst of the worst,” including violent offenders. But citing Trump administration figures, Costa said ICE arrested 215,000 people between March and early August, with “more than half” having “neither been charged nor convicted of any crimes” and “fewer than four percent” having a violent criminal conviction.

“The worst of the worst are not mothers and fathers heading to work to provide an income for their families,” Costa said. “The worst of the worst are not hardworking people who have spent years contributing to our communities and our economy.”

Prudencio Rivera Rios, a farmer who said he came to the United States in 2023 and has permission to be in the country, told ABC30 that ICE officers pulled him over near Dickenson and Jensen avenues in Kerman while he was driving home from work. Video he recorded shows an officer asking him, “Did you ever claim any asylum or have a U-visa here?” Rivera Rios said he showed his work card through the window.

“I didn’t come here illegally, I came here with permission,” Rivera Rios said. Officers told him they were going to smash his window before breaking it, then placed him in a van with several other people and took him to the ICE office in downtown Fresno, where he was processed and eventually released. “The worker there told me, ‘Why didn’t you say that?’ I demonstrated my papers and everything and they didn’t care,” Rivera Rios said.

Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco confronted ICE agents outside a local bakery, telling them “they were not welcomed in my city and they needed to leave.”

The Nisei Farmers League said it has received videos and reports of ICE agents entering agricultural fields, raising concerns about whether federal laws are being followed. Federal law generally requires immigration officers to obtain consent from the owner or a properly executed warrant before entering outdoor agricultural operations to question workers about their immigration status.

Dyer tied the enforcement activity to what he called arrest quotas set by President Trump. “We should have expected it from the first moment where a quota was set forth by our president. Any time you put forth a quota, the number of people you’re going to arrest; the people that are doing the enforcement are going to try to meet that quota,” Dyer said. CNN reported that ICE leaders have instructed agents to return to a mandate of detaining 3,000 people a day, though an ICE spokesperson told CNN there are “no quotas.”

One ICE agent was shot by a homeowner in Fresno on Friday after he was found sleeping on the front lawn. Police said the agent appeared “intoxicated and agitated” during a physical confrontation with the homeowners.

The operations are happening as voters head to the polls in a matter of weeks for the 2026 midterms. Costa called for bipartisan legislation in Congress, including the Dignity Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, to address what he described as a broken immigration system.

Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez said employers at food plants, processing facilities and small businesses have reported “higher-than-normal” absences at work sites in recent days. “Our immigrant families are an essential part of Fresno County,” Chavez said. “They are our neighbors, our coworkers and our families. They contribute every day to the strength of this community, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

The operations come as the region faces high diesel costs driven by global conflicts, including the U.S. war with Iran, and production capacity issues at domestic refineries. Diesel prices stand at $6.44 per gallon in California, contributing to rising costs for groceries and other goods. Cunha said farmers are cutting back on various activities because of the high cost of diesel.

Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, who represents District 5, offered a different perspective. “ICE has been ramping up their operations for some time. We’ve funded them through the next several years and they’re proceeding to do the job by law they’re required to do,” McClintock said.

DHS spokesperson Jason B. Sweeney highlighted five men who were detained and who had criminal histories, but said “for operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.”

The Breakdown

• ICE is conducting a 45-day enforcement operation across Fresno, Madera, Selma, Parlier, Kerman, Mendota and Chowchilla that has resulted in an estimated 100 detentions in recent days, according to the Nisei Farmers League — DHS declined to confirm the total.
• The material documents detentions at Fowler Packing Company, construction sites, and during traffic stops, including one case where a man with legal work permission was detained and later released.
• Federal law generally requires immigration officers to obtain consent or a warrant before entering outdoor agricultural operations to question workers — the Nisei Farmers League says it has received reports of agents entering fields, raising questions about compliance.
• The operations are tied to what Mayor Dyer called arrest quotas set by President Trump — CNN reported ICE leaders instructed agents to detain 3,000 people daily, though an ICE spokesperson said there are “no quotas.”
• Rep. Costa cited Trump administration figures showing more than half of those arrested had not been charged or convicted of crimes, and fewer than four percent had violent criminal convictions.
• The operations coincide with the start of citrus harvest next week and come as voters prepare for the November 2026 midterm elections.

What This Means for You

Mayor Dyer, the city’s former police chief, is publicly questioning whether this is what voters actually voted for. The material documents specific cases — a person with legal work permission detained anyway, children watching their parents taken, a nursing student facing deportation — that test whether the administration’s stated focus on “the worst of the worst” matches what’s happening in Fresno’s streets and fields.

Voters head to the polls in a matter of weeks for the 2026 midterms.

What You Can Do

The material documents a Friday press conference where Rep. Jim Costa called for bipartisan immigration reform legislation, including the Dignity Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Contact your representative in Congress to state your position on these bills and on immigration enforcement policy. The 2026 midterm election is “in a matter of weeks,” according to the material — register and vote.

What to Watch

The Trump administration says it is targeting “the worst of the worst,” but the material documents a case where a man with legal work permission was detained and later released, and Rep. Costa citing administration figures showing more than half of those arrested had not been charged or convicted of crimes. The material does not document what specific evidence or screening process ICE agents are using to determine who to detain during traffic stops or at work sites — that gap between the stated policy and the documented cases is worth watching as the 45-day operation continues.

Mayor Dyer tied the enforcement activity to what he called arrest quotas set by President Trump, and CNN reported that ICE leaders instructed agents to return to a mandate of detaining 3,000 people a day. An ICE spokesperson told CNN there are “no quotas,” but the material does not document what written directive or policy ICE is operating under, or whether agents face consequences for falling short of a daily detention target. The difference between a quota and a target that agents are instructed to meet is a question worth asking.

The Nisei Farmers League says it has received reports of ICE agents entering agricultural fields, and federal law generally requires consent or a warrant before entering outdoor agricultural operations to question workers. The material does not document whether ICE obtained consent or warrants in the reported cases, or whether any farmer or farmworker has filed a formal complaint alleging a violation. That question — whether the law governing field access is being followed — is answerable, and the answer matters.

One ICE agent was shot by a homeowner in Fresno after he was found sleeping on the front lawn and appeared “intoxicated and agitated” during a physical confrontation. The material does not document whether that agent is still on duty, whether the agency has opened an investigation, or whether the homeowner has been charged. An intoxicated federal agent carrying out an enforcement operation is not a minor detail — it’s a question of who is accountable when the people carrying out the policy are themselves breaking the law.