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REDDIT Bakersfield residents protest Border Patrol sweeps in their community. |
During the campaign, in an August 8, 2024 speech, Trump stated he planned to launch "the largest mass deportation in the history of our country."
In anticipation of fulfilling one of Trump's promises of staging mass deportations, border agents in California began wielding their new power last week.
"Today, unannounced raids by U.S. Border Patrol officials are sowing chaos and discord in households and workplaces across the state," said Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez "These actions do more than just target criminals; they ensnare residents merely working to achieve the American dream and cast fear amongst many more."
The Border Patrol out of its El Centro headquarters said that the roundups and raids were targeted at arresting cartel members but stories from the ground tell a different story.
Casey Creamer, president of the industry group California Citrus Mutual, told Olmos told America's Voice that this is one of their busiest harvesting times of the year. But following the frightening news that immigrants were getting swept up while refueling their trucks or picking up some breakfast before starting their day, 25% of citrus workers stayed home from work. The day after, 75% stayed home.
The raids have “sent shockwaves through the entire community,” Creamer said in an interview with America's Voice. “People aren’t going to work and kids aren’t going to school,” mirroring mass school absences following past workplace raids in states like Mississippi, New Mexico, and Tennessee.
“Throughout the raids, Border Patrol appeared to be profiling farm workers,” United Farm Workers said. “These raids have resulted in dozens of arrests of hardworking people, including UFW union members.” The labor union called the enforcement actions “a troubling preview of what we expect our communities to endure over the next 4 years.”
Sergio Olmos of CalMatters reports: “It was profiling, it was purely field workers,” said Sara Fuentes, store manager of the local gas station. Fuentes said that at 9 a.m., when the store typically gets a rush of workers on their way to pick oranges, two men in civilian clothes and unmarked Suburbans started detaining people outside the store. “They didn’t stop people with FedEx uniforms, they were stopping people who looked like they worked in the fields.” Fuentes says one customer pulled in just to pump gas and agents approached him and detained him.
Fuentes has lived in Bakersfield all her life and says she’s never seen anything like it. In one instance, she said a man and woman drove up to the store together, and the man went inside. Border Patrol detained the man as he walked out, Fuentes said, and then demanded the woman get out of the vehicle. When she refused, another agency parked his vehicle behind the woman, blocking her car. Fuentes said it wasn’t until the local Univision station showed up that Border Patrol agents backed up their car and allowed the woman to leave.
Fuentes says none of the regular farm workers showed up to buy breakfast on Wednesday morning. “No field workers at all,” she said.
Bakersfsield Mayor Karen Goh, who in November was re-elected to her third term, said that the Bakersfield Police Department is not particiipating in the Border Patrol sweeps.
"My understanding is that this is an operation by El Centro Border Patrol focused on narcotics and human trafficking by cartels. Media reports that two child rapists were caught the first day; however, I am not aware of the number of people arrested," she said.
"I am concerned for persons who are unnecessarily in fear."
"UFW union members are among those detained while traveling home from work yesterday in Kern County, CA" said the United Far Workers in a statement posted on social media. "We are providing them and their families with support. Random actions like this are not meant to keep anyone safe; they are intended to terrorize hardworking people."
Antonio De Loera, spokesman for the United Farm Workers union, said:
“It’s clear that border patrol is feeling emboldened, and I believe this is the kind of thing that unfortunately we’ll be seeing more of over the next four years.”
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The Border Patrol in statement said that the roundups were "targeted" to arrest cartel members. However, reports from the ground tell a different story.
"Today, unannounced raids by U.S. Border Patrol officials are sowing chaos and discord in households and workplaces across the state," said Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez "These actions do more than just target criminals; they ensnare residents merely working to achieve the American dream and cast fear amongst many more."
"UFW union members are among those detained while traveling home from work yesterday in Kern County, CA" said the United Far Workers in a statement posted on social media. "We are providing them and their families with support. Random actions like this are not meant to keep anyone safe; they are intended to terrorize hardworking people."
The Border Patrol in statement said that the roundups were "targeted" to arrest cartel members. However, reports from the ground tell a different story.
"Today, unannounced raids by U.S. Border Patrol officials are sowing chaos and discord in households and workplaces across the state," said Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez "These actions do more than just target criminals; they ensnare residents merely working to achieve the American dream and cast fear amongst many more."
"UFW union members are among those detained while traveling home from work yesterday in Kern County, CA" said the United Far Workers in a statement posted on social media. "We are providing them and their families with support. Random actions like this are not meant to keep anyone safe; they are intended to terrorize hardworking people."
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