U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a 45-day operation across California targeting immigrants with and without criminal records, according to an October 7 report from the Washington Examiner. The operation, known internally as Operation Safe California, began several days earlier in and around San Diego, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the plan.
According to the report, ICE leaders instructed officers to arrest undocumented immigrants they encounter regardless of whether the person has a criminal history.
“Management want numbers,” one source wrote in a text message to the Washington Examiner. A second source said officers were “told to go after anybody; they can pick up anybody.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would not confirm or deny the operation when asked by the newspaper, saying ICE does not discuss law-enforcement operations because of concerns about employee safety.
DHS did, however, announce a broader “nationwide public safety surge” in sanctuary jurisdictions on September 27.
“No one is off the table,” the department wrote. “We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come in our path.”
The reported statewide operation comes as residents and immigrant-rights organizations document increased immigration enforcement in Fresno and Madera counties and warn of possible activity connected to Kern County. Approximately two dozen people were reportedly detained in Fresno and Madera counties during the week of October 5, according to The Fresno Bee, which cited local officials and immigrant-rights organizations.
“We started to receive phone calls as of yesterday early in the morning that people were starting to be detained,” Nora Zaragoza-Yáñez, program manager for the Valley Watch Network, told the newspaper. The organization had been notified of at least a dozen detentions Monday and another dozen Tuesday. “We’re also seeing that they’re using racial profiling tactics, targeted roving patrols. They are going to places like mini marts or places where people — farmers, landscapers — frequently visit.”
Zaragoza-Yáñez described the activity as an “election surge,” saying the arrests appeared to fit with the administration’s focus on sanctuary jurisdictions before the November election.
The Valley Watch Network also reported that federal agents stopped a van transporting workers from Selma to jobs in Bakersfield on Tuesday morning and detained everyone inside. The location of the stop and the number of people in the van have not been publicly confirmed.
ABC30 also interviewed Leonardo Sandoval, a Mexican national who said he is legally present in the United States. Sandoval said masked ICE agents followed him from a Madera gas station and approached his truck Tuesday morning. He said he believed agents stopped him “because I look some type of way,” and was released after showing them his residency card.
The reported activity has led residents to contact local organizers with concerns about leaving their homes.
“A lot of people reaching out to me are saying, ‘Is it safe to go outside? Is it safe for me to go to work today?’” Blanca Ojeda, lead community organizer with Faith in the Valley, told ABC30.
The extent of any enforcement inside Kern County remains unclear. On October 6, the Kern County Rapid Response Network said it had received reports of ICE activity across the Central Valley and Central Coast but had not observed activity in Kern County.
“While we have not seen any activity in Kern, we encourage everyone to stay vigilant, know and assert your rights, and call us if you need support,” the organization said in an Instagram post.
The following day, the UFW Foundation issued a broader warning stating that ICE was “targeting community members in Fresno, Kern, & Madera counties.” The post did not identify specific Kern County arrests or enforcement locations.
“Our lawyers, organizers and partners are seeking more information and are coordinating support,” the organization said.
The Kern County Rapid Response Network is asking people who witness possible immigration enforcement to call 661-432-2230. The UFW Foundation said its Bakersfield and Fresno offices are providing legal consultations and helping families locate detained relatives. Its Bakersfield office can be reached at 661-324-2500, and its Fresno office can be reached at 559-496-0700.