California leaders are inexcusably silent as Border Patrol sweeps Central Valley | Opinion
U.S. Border Patrol raids in Kern County earlier this week sparked fear in the region’s huge immigrant community as expected massive deportation efforts under the incoming Trump administration jumped the gun by two weeks.
The raids that began in Kern County earlier this week are just a preview of federal enforcement tactics that could seriously damage a Central Valley farm labor market that sustains a local economy, its farmers, farm workers, homebuilders, restaurant owners and hoteliers – and their customers/clients.
Fresno Bee reporter Melissa Montalvo noted that U.S. Border Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino took to social media to boast about the result of raids in the Bakersfield region: “Operation Return to Sender was an overwhelming success from day one. Two child rapists (one raped an 8-year-old), aggravated felons, 36 pounds of narcotics and several other criminals were arrested.”
Immigration officials say they were targeting known criminals, including child rapists. If true, such enforcement would not cause public concern in the Central Valley. But it would cause great concern if others, such as farm workers simply doing their jobs, were swept up as well. That’s what people in the Central Valley are concerned about.
Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector, did not specify how many of those detained were wanted for criminal charges and how many weren’t. Immigrant advocates say an estimated 219 individuals were detained on Monday and Tuesday, including farmworkers and others who were going about their normal work routine.
“They are targeting drivers who are on their way to work to provide for their families. They are also focusing on a highway that farm workers routinely use to go to work,” said Sofia Corona, directing attorney for the United Farm Workers Foundation, in a statement.
There is evidence the raids have not focused on known criminals. Casey Creamer, president of California Citrus Mutual, told Cal Matters on Thursday that the raids are happening in the middle of citrus harvesting. “This has sent shockwaves through the entire community. People aren’t going to work and kids aren’t going to school. Yesterday (Wednesday) about 25% of the workforce, today 75% didn’t show up.”
So far, the Border Patrol has kept mum about its operation except for a warning on its Facebook page that “we are planning operations for other locals such as Fresno and especially Sacramento.”
Where is the outrage from leaders?
Except the Latino Legislative Caucus and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, elected officials have kept mum on the raids. State Attorney General Rob Bonta has hosted four immigrant rights gatherings, the latest in Salinas on Thursday, but has not issued any response to the Border Patrol raids.
Sure, there will be some who are pleased with the immigration raids. The “they broke the law by crossing the border” mentality doesn’t come close to dealing with the intricacies of mixed-status families, asylum seekers and young people brought to the U.S. without documentation when they were very young, a group known as “Dreamers.”
There has been no word from President Joe Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom, our U.S. Senators or Congress members who have touted the contributions of immigrants.
The raids, said state Sen. Lena González in a Thursday statement, “are sowing chaos and discord in households and workplaces.” The chair of the Legislative Latino Caucus said the raids capture not just criminals but also “residents merely working to achieve the American Dream.”
The caucus “urges the Border Patrol to announce its planned raids and maintain its established protocol of avoiding raids at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and places of worship,” said González. “These venues should remain free from raids, otherwise a chilling effect may prevent law-abiding residents from visiting these locations and utilizing their vital services.”
Those are reasonable requests that could calm the estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants who live in California.
Hurtado, whose district covers much of the San Joaquin Valley’s agricultural heartland, issued a statement on Thursday. “I am the daughter of immigrants and married to an immigrant, and I can’t help but feel the weight of the fear and uncertainty gripping so many individuals, children, and families right now,” she said. “For those who came here seeking safety and opportunity, the recent Border Patrol arrests in my district have only deepened that fear.”
Hurtado speaks for all when she says “that people with criminal pasts have no place in our communities. We all want safety and security.”
Take away the rapists, the murderers, the sex traffickers. But why deport an orange picker with an otherwise clean record?
Sorry to break it to you, but the costs of rebuilding those homes destroyed in the Los Angeles fires, buying the fruits and vegetables that grace your dining table, and expecting clean sheets while visiting a favorite American resort will soon skyrocket as well when that immigrant labor disappears.
Now is not the time to stay quiet.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM.