ICE Surge Hits Central Valley Farm Economy, Schools

A surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations that began last week across California’s Central Valley has left fields, packing sheds and construction sites empty in one of the nation’s most important farm regions. Federal officials say they’re simply doing their jobs. Local leaders say the economic ripple is already visible.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias described the scene in blunt terms. “We’re seeing across-the-board reduction of school attendance, substantial reduction in employees showing up to farm operations, packing sheds and in the fields. Construction has essentially come to a halt,” Arias said. “We’re seeing very few people out in the streets.”

The California Farm Bureau, which represents growers who depend on that labor, reaffirmed its support for agricultural workers in a written statement. It noted that California is home to one-third of the nation’s agricultural workforce.

The Federal Position

The Department of Homeland Security wouldn’t discuss specifics. An unidentified spokesperson told The Times by email that “for operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.” The spokesperson added: “Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California.”

On one specific case, the department spoke more pointedly. Noelia Bautista and Cipriano Lopez of Fresno were arrested last week. Their children started a GoFundMe, contending their parents were racially profiled. A DHS spokesperson said the couple “illegally entered the U.S. at unknown times and places.” The spokesperson said: “All of their claims will be heard by immigration judges and they will receive due process. This administration will not ignore the rule of law.” The spokesperson called the profiling allegations “disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE,” and said “what makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. — NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity.”

The Times reviewed reported arrests and found a mixed picture. Some of those detained had recent arrests. Others appeared to have no criminal record.

Flashpoints and Friction

The operation has triggered confrontations. In Kerman, Mayor Maria Pacheco confronted ICE agents Thursday as they detained people. “You’re not welcome in my city,” she told an agent in a video posted on Facebook. “You’ve taken enough people yesterday. We don’t want you here.”

The next day, a 72-year-old Fresno resident shot and wounded an ICE agent. Police said the agent had fallen asleep on the resident’s daughter’s front lawn, appeared “intoxicated and agitated,” and allegedly assaulted the resident. Prosecutors charged the agent with assault, elder abuse and other crimes. The courts will now handle the case.

In Madera, organizers postponed the third annual Oaxacan Guelaguetza festival amid growing fears, the group said on Facebook. Students protested Friday, Arias said.

Critics Push Back

Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers, condemned what she called a “brutal ICE surge.” In a written statement, she said “warrantless stops and roving patrols by masked federal agents” have been “terrorizing farm workers,” adding that “these are not criminals” but “hard-working, long term members of our communities being unlawfully targeted simply for looking Latino and working class.”

Elizabeth Strater, the union’s director of strategic campaigns and national vice president, said farmworkers began reporting immigration patrols on Oct. 6. She said the number of people detained remained unclear. Similar arrests were occurring in the Coachella Valley and Ventura County, where a preliminary injunction restricts civil arrests without a warrant. Authorities are investigating multiple vehicle accidents in Oxnard and Simi Valley involving ICE agents. “It’s total lawlessness,” Strater said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said increased reports of federal agents resulted from President Trump using “fear and panic as a weapon — putting families at risk, undermining our economy, and terrorizing communities.”

One Driver’s Stop

Prudencio Rivera, 31, was driving home from a night shift at a poultry farm last week when a truck with Texas plates followed him and then switched on its emergency lights. He pulled over in Kerman and began livestreaming. Rivera told The Times he entered the United States in 2023 through an asylum process, has a work permit and checks in with ICE once a month.

Through his closed window, he said in Spanish, “I have my papers in order. Everything’s good.” The livestream showed an officer saying his work permit didn’t give him permission to live in the country, then warning, “We’re going to break the window.” The video captured glass shattering. Agents took him to the Fresno ICE office, checked his documents and record, and released him. DHS didn’t respond to a request for comment about what prompted the stop. “When they told me they were going to let me go, I was relieved,” Rivera said.

A farmworker who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation described a separate stop. Officers pulled him over last Tuesday as he drove to work with three others, he said. They didn’t know his name. After he declined to answer questions about where he was born and when he crossed the border, they let him go.

Why This Matters:

Enforcing immigration law is a legitimate federal function, and DHS says every person arrested will get a hearing before an immigration judge. But enforcement carries real costs. Central Valley agriculture runs on a labor force that’s now staying home, and growers, packers and builders are absorbing the disruption in real time. Questions about warrantless stops, a shattered car window and an agent now facing criminal charges all test whether enforcement stays within clear legal limits. Those limits protect public trust in the rule of law. The federal government has said little about its operational rules, and courts, not press statements, will likely settle where the lines fall.