Fresno councilmember behind ICE raid rumor says he’ll keep sharing unverified info
The Fresno city councilmember who shared the false rumor of an impending ICE raid at last weekend’s Cherry Avenue Auction says he’ll keep sharing unverified information about potential raids to help protect undocumented immigrants.
“If I have similar information and similar defense knowledge, I will continue to exercise my freedom of speech and my responsibility as a member of this body to inform my community of any potential mass raids that are being planned,” Councilmember Miguel Arias told The Bee. “They’re a clear violation of due process.”
Arias said at a council meeting two days before the popular swap meet that “ICE is planning to engage in a massive immigration raid at the Cherry Auction in Fresno.” He discouraged undocumented immigrants from attending the swap meet.
Despite the warning,there were no sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the swap meet on Saturday. Arias hasn’t publicly said how he learned of and verified his warning about the ICE raid.
Many vendors were frustrated by the drop in attendance caused by the rumor, which quickly spread on social media. Several vendors remain upset that Arias plans to continue sharing information about potential ICE raids.
Robert Brambila, a longtime vendor at the Cherry Avenue Auction, has been selling tarps, canopies, gloves, brooms, and other work gear for over 30 years. He told The Bee that his sales at swap meets are his only source of income.
“In my eyes, he’s supposedly trying to protect illegals without concern about how it’s affecting our livelihoods,” he said. “He talks, he gets paid. He talks, we don’t get paid. Damage is done.”
Devon Solis, another vendor at the auction, said she appreciates Arias for speaking up, but believes the false rumor will still continue to affect attendance at the swap meet.
“I believe that he’s doing a great thing by advising us that ICE might show up,” she said. “But we are hoping something changes soon. The children of vendors are out here instead of their parents because they’re scared, but they have to keep working to try to keep up with bills. Unfortunately though it still won’t be the same because the majority of customers are Hispanic and it just affects people wanting to come out, papers or not.”
Arias said he warned the public of an ICE raid to protect immigrants in Fresno.
“Their customers are clearly primarily undocumented immigrants, and they should insist on property owners and landlords that protect them. It is unfair to intentionally put vulnerable immigrants at risk of deportation and their family being separated to simply sell a hat or to make $1 for the day,” Arias said. “So far, what I have not heard from the owner of that property is any commitment not to cooperate with ICE”
Neil Burson, the owner of Cherry Avenue Auction, said that he will not prevent ICE from entering the swap meet.
“If ICE wants to come in, I am not going to stop them because that would make me a felon,” he said. “Arias cares more about illegal immigrants who have committed crimes against Americans and other immigrants than he does about hardworking vendors who are trying to feed their families. His interest is getting in the news more than protecting immigrants.”
The Cherry Avenue Auction also said on social media last week that it had “no knowledge of any planned ICE raid at our facility” and had “not been notified of any such action.”
The auction urged customers “not to be swayed by fear or misinformation being circulated through various channels.”
Arias took credit for the fact that no ICE raid took place at the swap meet. The federal agency says it does not announce or publicize planned raids.
“I think when 1000s of potential victims were no longer present, that thwarted their plan, right?” he said. “The swap meet is right off the freeway. It is the perfect location to round up 1000s of people with great enterprise, and there is not an easy way to exit or enter that facility once you park your car and hit the entrance.”
Arias urges Fresno residents to be prepared for the possibility of ICE activity.
“What I’ll say to people is the same thing that was said to us in the 1970s: Have a plan,” he said. “I know what it feels like to come home from school to see your parents not be there, and to rely on the neighbor as your guardian.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 10:30 AM.
