Delano Mayor Sal Solorio-Ruiz, council member Byran Osorio, and community organizations partnered for a press conference in front of Delano City Hall to condemn the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation as part of the statewide 45-day Safe California operation.
“I believe that we are living in a time in which our fundamental principles and ideals as Americans are under attack,” said Solorio-Ruiz. “Where the rights of people are being stripped away in broad daylight. A time in which Latinos are being hunted in the streets of America and in the streets of the Central Valley. This administration announced a 45-day operation, Safe California. They promised they would only go after the criminals, but we know that that is not happening. An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal. Farm workers are not criminals.”
He continued to explain that children are afraid to attend school because they do not know if their parents will be taken away before they make it home. Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers (UFW), echoed that sentiment, adding that the kids just want their parents back.
“I have heard their cries. I have seen a young lady, a 12-year-old girl, who refused to eat for days after they took her father,” said Romero. “When I ask children, what is it that you want? The first thing they said, I want my daddy back. These are children that are U.S. citizens. We are separating families, and we see what happens to the adults. But we need to remember there are children behind them. And our communities care, and we are doing what needs to be done to protect them.”
Daniel Rodela, lead community organizer with Fatih in the Valley, also spoke to the sense of community, saying hope comes from a community willing to fight together and for each other.
“We’re living through a painful moment when we see flashing lights, when we see ICE agents masking their faces to intimidate us, and when we see corporate walls built to profit off the separation of our homes,” said Rodela. “It’s easy to feel a heavy shadow falling over the Central Valley. It’s natural to feel anxious, but today I’m here to tell you that the shadows don’t win. The fear does not get to have the final word. Our faith teaches us that hope is not a passive wish. Hope is an active force. Hope is what happens when a community decides to stand up, lock arms, and protect one another.”
Recent videos of ICE agents have shown them wearing face coverings and in unmarked cars. Romero mentioned this and stated that ICE is not conducting arrests but instead is kidnapping community members.
“Right now, what is happening with immigration, masked agents that are driving unmarked vehicles that do not have a warrant for a specific person are kidnapping our people. They are not arresting them; they are kidnapping them. And that needs to stop. In this country, we have a constitution. And our people are being arrested for the color of their skin, the language that they speak, or the work that they do, and that is unconstitutional,” stated Romero.
Ambar Tovar, legal services director for the United Farm Workers Foundation, spoke about what is happening after people are taken. She stated that the attorneys have not been able to visit many people because they are not showing up in the system, which means some are signing away their rights before being able to meet with legal counsel. Tovar explained that it is not a system oversight but a violation of rights.
“These practices are not just administrative failures. They are violations of dignity and due process, and they are meant to intimidate our community. And so let us be clear. We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. Our attorneys are prepared to meet with every single person who is detained to provide them those rights and afford them that legal consultation that they may need to make informed decisions about their future.”
Osorio spoke about the importance of speaking up against what is happening and how every resident should feel safe leaving their homes.
“We are standing here because we feel a moral obligation to speak up as we see history repeat itself,” said Osorio. “As a council member, I care about local safety. Our city team and staff work to keep our crosswalks safe, just like those you see down the street, our neighborhoods secure, and our kids protected from traffic. But what does true public safety mean? It means every resident is safe. We cannot claim to have a safe city when people’s fundamental rights and safety are in limbo just for stepping outside their homes.”
A community member went to watch the press conference. Monike Reynozo with Loud for Tomorrow said she attended the conference to show support for her community. Born and raised in Delano, she will not let fear keep her from speaking out, especially ahead of the upcoming election.
“We are here. We are proud. We’re going to be loud. And we’re not going to let fear and being targeted, you know, put us back in the shadows,” said Reynozo. “So just really trying to show support for our immigrant communities to see that we’re here. We’re standing for them as, you know, as someone who is documented, who is a citizen, as well as to remind folks that, you know, the timing of it is not a coincidence. Election season’s coming up, so there is definitely a target to not have us come out outside being a community.”
Rodela also spoke to the resiliency of the Delano community.
“Look at our history right here in Delano. This soil knows the footsteps of those who marched, those who organized, and those who proved that when ordinary families unite, they can move mountains. That same blood of resilience flows through our veins today. Our homes are sacred. All people are sacred. Our families belong together,” said Rodela.
