Two Fresno-based groups have mobilized protesters for daily pre-dawn demonstrations outside the ICE facility in downtown Fresno. They’re there to hurl insults at agents as they come and go, an effort to make them feel uncomfortable as federal immigration sweeps continue throughout the Central Valley.
Using whistles and bullhorns, the protesters moved back and forth early Thursday between the front and back of the building, heckling any agents they saw. The Bee was there at 5 a.m. to cover Thursday’s demonstration.
“Why is it so important? Why are we making so much noise? It’s because other people that are not us are really suffering. And we bring that attention so that we can let people know that this is actually happening — this is real,” said Joseph Rodriguez — co-founder of Rehop Fresno, an organization that pivoted from artistry to activism.
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Rodriguez says he and the leaders of Fresno Resistance, another activist group, have taken to gathering outside the Fresno ICE facility most days this month.
The protesters document and post their interactions on social media. Video posted Tuesday shows ICE agents shining bright lights at the activists. In another clip, protesters accused agents of pepper-spraying a member of Fresno Resistance outside the facility on Wednesday morning.
Fresno police spokesperson Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega told The Bee that officers are investigating a pepper-spray report, but she would not discuss the circumstances, including the potential parties involved.
A protester observes the occupants of a van in a parking lot adjacent to the ICE facility in downtown Fresno before sunrise on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. ERIK GALICIA THE FRESNO BEE
The protesters say they’re asserting their First Amendment rights and are careful to stay on public property.
“When we see any activity, we give the ICE agents that are coming in from out of state hell. We go up to them, we tell them we don’t want them here, we let them know that the Central Valley is behind us — because what people do is they reach out to us every day thanking us for what we do,” Rodriguez said.
As activists confronted agents entering a van in a parking lot behind the facility, one resident living nearby shouted from her balcony for the protesters to go away, as she said they were frightening her child.
Shortly after 5:30 a.m., the building’s rolling doors opened and vans began exiting. Agents — shining strobe flashlights — were met with heckles and loud noises.
“We are peaceful, and about the nastiest we get is to yell insults and to let these people know they’re not welcomed. We want them to be uncomfortable, because guess what? They’re making us feel, not even just uncomfortable, but actually terrorized,” Rodriguez said.
Joseph Rodriguez, of the community group Rehop Fresno, yells at officers using a megaphone outside the ICE facility in downtown Fresno before sunrise on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. ERIK GALICIA THE FRESNO BEE
The Bee later observed masked ICE agents tell the protesters that they were scaring workers contracted to clean the facility, who arrived shortly after the vans exited. The protesters responded saying they don’t accost the custodians and that the agents are the ones tearing families apart.
In addition to demonstrating outside the ICE facility in the early mornings, Rodriguez says Rehop Fresno and Fresno Resistance perform patrols and share social media alerts about ICE sightings.
Other activist organizations and longtime community leaders also help share information about ICE activity and provide resources — though Rodriguez said there’s sometimes a difference in opinion between older and newer generations’ approaches.
Rodriguez said some have accused the early-morning demonstrators of not helping the situation, but he emphasized that Rehop Fresno and Fresno Resistance are non-violent and encourage everyone to stand up for the community however they can.
Protesters heckle and record while officers shine flashlights at them as a van pulls out of the ICE facility in downtown Fresno before sunrise on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. ERIK GALICIA THE FRESNO BEE
This story was originally published October 15, 2026 2:16 PM.
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The Fresno Bee
Nick Fenley is a reporter covering education, lawsuits, breaking news and more for The Fresno Bee. He’s originally from the Imperial Valley and joined The Bee in 2025.
The Fresno Bee
Erik is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, where he helped launch an effort to better meet the news needs of Spanish-speaking immigrants. Before that, he served as editor-in-chief of his community college student newspaper, Riverside City College Viewpoints, where he covered the impacts of the Salton Sea’s decline on its adjacent farm worker communities in the Southern California desert.