As ICE concerns rise, Fresno mayor’s MLK Day speech knocked tactics but urged compliance
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Dyer denounced federal ICE tactics, but urged compliance to avoid violence.
- Local groups report multiple immigration detentions in Fresno recently.
- Local pastor urged Dyer to inform residents of their rights instead.
On the same day Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a gardener on the streets of Clovis, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer criticized the tactics federal agents have been employing nationwide as ones that have “shocked the conscience of America.”
Speaking during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march on Monday, Dyer said he is not aware of any immigration enforcement operations planned for Fresno, but he added that it is a possibility. He also urged residents to avoid confrontations and comply with orders, if they encounter agents in Fresno.
The mayor was not available to comment for this story, but his office provided The Fresno Bee a copy of his Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech.
“We do not want a tragic outcome in our city,” Dyer said in the speech.
Reactions to the speech went from positive to negative as Dyer urged compliance, said Rev. Michael McKeever of Fresno’s Mennonite Community Church, who was present as the mayor spoke. McKeever on Wednesday wrote a letter to Dyer posted to social media, asking the mayor to clarify any differences between federal and local policing authorities and to put out a new statement informing residents of their rights should they encounter agents.
Dyer, who served as Fresno’s police chief for 18 years, has historically spoken against using local resources for federal immigration enforcement. He told The Bee last year that the city’s police officers do not ask people about their immigration status and will not aid federal agents in immigration sweeps. (California law restricts all local governments in California from using their resources for federal immigration enforcement purposes.)
His latest comments came amid a recent increase in social media posts about the presence of federal agents on Fresno area streets. Federal agents have made arrests in the area throughout President Donald Trump’s second term, but Fresno has not experienced the type of large-scale immigration enforcement operations seen in major cities across the country.
Videos circulated Monday on social media showed federal agents standing outside their vehicles, in the road, near the intersection of Willow and Shepherd Avenues in Clovis.
The Clovis Police Department later confirmed it received a notification from ICE that morning about the planned operation. Faith in the Valley, an organization that operates an ICE watch network in the Central Valley, said the agents in Clovis detained a gardener who was on his way to work.
In the past two weeks, Faith in the Valley has reported several other immigration detentions in Fresno. The organization told The Bee earlier this week that “the feeling is that there is increased immigration enforcement happening.”
Fresno mayor says federal agents use tactics ‘abandoned long ago’ by local, state police
Dyer’s speech honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and reflects on what the civil rights leader might say about the U.S. today.
But the mayor also notes federal law enforcement and military personnel have been deployed into cities without being requested by local governments. Dyer’s speech says the tactics the agents are using are tactics that “were abandoned long ago by local and state enforcement agencies.”
“The presence of federal agents and the tactics being used have resulted in unnecessary confrontations and violent protests fueled by anger and hatred,” Dyer’s speech says. “This was not part of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream for America.”
The mayor then says federal law enforcement agents have the same authority as local police, including the power to arrest and to “take a person’s life should they feel threatened.” He advises against following agents, blocking their vehicles or surrounding them.
“Please, avoid confrontations with them, obey their directions just as you would with local or state law enforcement,” Dyer says.
Fresno pastor’s letter urges mayor to put out new statement on ICE
The letter to Dyer written by McKeever, the Mennonite Community Church pastor, questioned Dyer’s statement that federal and local police have the same authority, and that residents should simply comply.
“As a pastor in a historic peace church, I have a responsibility to stand with those threatened by violence, regardless of its source, and to speak plainly when I believe our leaders are pointing people toward harm,” McKeever says in his letter.
The pastor, who also teaches college theology, said in the letter that advising “unconditional” obedience could result in people consenting “to things they have every constitutional right to refuse.” He also urged the mayor to explore what more the city can do to protect residents today, and to issue a new statement — “one that tells residents what rights they actually have.”
McKeever told The Bee that, given the mayor’s law enforcement background, Dyer has a responsibility to clarify any differences between federal and local law enforcement — which he described as “two very different kinds of law enforcement.”
Fresno Bee reporter Marina Peña contributed to this story.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
