Bay Area Rapid Response Groups Brace for ICE Activity After 100-Plus Arrests in the Central Valley

Immigrant rights groups in the Bay Area are preparing for a possible rise in federal immigration enforcement after a week of arrests in the San Joaquin Valley that advocates say has swept up more than 100 farmworkers and others, KQED reported Friday.

What happened in the Valley

Since Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained people on their way to work and out running errands, according to KQED. Local officials said the arrests did not appear to involve warrants or to target people with criminal records or final deportation orders. The Department of Homeland Security said it would not discuss operations, adding that it enforces the law every day, including in California.

Faith in the Valley said a van carrying workers from Selma to Bakersfield was stopped Tuesday morning and everyone aboard was detained, KGET and KVPR reported. Sightings and arrests have also been reported in Fresno, Mendota, Kerman, Parlier and Madera. In Kerman alone, Mayor Maria Pacheco said eight residents were detained Wednesday and Thursday, and that city police do not take part in immigration operations.

State Sen. Anna Caballero's office told KQED it had heard of more than 60 arrests in communities she represents, and that the downtown Fresno facility was struggling to process detainees. Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez told KVPR that food plants and small businesses were reporting higher-than-normal absences. The Nisei Farmers League called on ICE to respect the rights of farmers and workers as the harvest winds down.

What Bay Area groups are doing

Lourdes Martinez, co-director of the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership, the county's rapid response network, told KQED the group is on alert but has not been able to verify anything specific locally. She said lawyers are preparing for the possibility of large-scale raids, and outreach workers are handing out an emergency planning checklist so families know what to do if a relative is arrested.

Milli Atkinson, who directs the San Francisco Bar Association's Immigrant Legal Defense Program, said the city has seen no rise in arrests so far, just anxiety in the community.

East Bay Rep. Lateefah Simon said in a statement that her office has resources for immigrant communities and can help with immigration casework. She accused the Trump administration of trying to intimidate immigrant families and Latino voters before the Nov. 3 election.