Organizations support to prevent ICE arrests in Central Valley

The administration of Republican Donald Trump wants to make good on its threat to carry out “the largest deportation in the history of the country,” as arrests and raids have intensified, taking place in the fields, on the streets, in churches, schools, courts and workplaces.

On the subject, Daniela Rodríguez, Radio Bilingüe reporter and UC Berkeley intern, shares this report.

Organizations and residents of California’s Central Valley are on alert for recent arrests by immigration agents in the region.

Josth Stenner-Lara, program coordinator for Faith in the Valley, explains what happened in recent days and how the Community Watch Network, a Faith in the Valley project that provides immigration resources and urgent support in case of arrests or encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, was mobilized. Let’s hear it.

 ”Yes. There was immigration this weekend in several areas, more specifically in the Fresno area and Merced area we also had some checks in the Stockton area. What we did verify is that people were receiving notices to do a check with immigration.”

Josth explains that this past Father’s Day two undocumented individuals who came in for an Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) check were stopped at an office in downtown Fresno by agents in unmarked vehicles and plainclothes.

“What we’re looking at, more than anything else, is what are called expedited removals. And we are seeing that they are canceling or interpreting the laws in a different way. They also passed a law called Laken and Riley. This law basically expands the type of crimes for which some immigrants can be arrested, detained and even deported, without the option of bail – even if they have not been convicted.”

According to the program coordinator for Faith in the Valley, another change he has seen in the immigration process is that deportations of people detained in the United States are processed very quickly.

 ”We’ve had families where we are looking at people’s location in real time and they are deported in less than 24 hours, in some cases, from the time they are detained by immigration to the time they are in Mexico.

Josth Stenner-Lara notes that his organization is seeing increased collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE to access more information about undocumented individuals. For their part, activists and members of community-based immigration organizations met after the detention of two people in downtown Fresno to assess the situation, took action, and prevented further arrests.

 ”In less than 12 hours, we rallied over 100 people in the Fresno area at the ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) center . And we did that to get them to close and cancel appointments for people who [received] a last-minute notice that they had to do a check with immigration. From that, there was no detention, people had their appointments canceled for the rest of the day. “

A day after that, Josth confirmed the arrest of two people as they left the Merced County Criminal Courthouse and received reports of two more immigration arrests at homes in Fresno and Stockton. He explains that the Central Valley Community Watch network is doing its best to verify the information and respond with resources thanks to the watch line they have set up to report ICE presence. However, the Faith in the Valley representative asks the community to gather accurate data and not to panic when reporting ICE operations.

“We are trying to lower that panic. And tell people the details so they can verify, they are super important: What does the car look like? Did you get a look at the person inside the car? What kind of vests are they wearing? Are there people detained behind the car?”

Meanwhile, organizations such as the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) and the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC), along with Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, have been meeting to provide information on “Know Your Rights and Protect Your Community”. At these meetings they share resources among community organizations and invite immigration attorneys to provide information.

And while Josth says that the families affected are saddened, and the community is in a panic, many residents are reassured to know that there are people taking the time to support them during this critical time. For more information on informational events and to report ICE presence in your community, you can call the Vigilance Network at 559-206-0151.

Many thanks to Daniela Rodriguez, Radio Bilingüe reporter and UC Berkeley intern.