Fresno City Council District 1 candidates Rob Fuentes, left, and Naindeep Singh, right, during a Fresno City Council forum, Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno.
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA
ezamora@fresnobee.com
In a Fresno City Council race where views on federal immigration officers are central, support for the Trump administration’s top civil rights official is the latest wedge issue.
Rob Fuentes is calling out Naindeep Singh for supporting Harmeet Dhillon, the U.S. Department of Justice’s assistant attorney general for civil rights.
Fuentes and Singh are running in District 1, representing west-central Fresno. Current Councilwoman Annalisa Perea is not running for re-election.
“Naindeep personally vouched for Harmeet Dhillon, a staunch election denier with a history of restricting civil rights, and he urged the government to put her in charge of enforcing our country’s civil rights laws,” Fuentes said.
Dhillon was known as a conservative civil rights attorney, commentator, and Trump supporter before her DOJ appointment.
Singh affixed his name to a letter of Sikh American advocates, calling for the U.S. Senate to confirm Dhillon in 2025.
Harmeet Dhillon Department of Justice
“We, the signatories below, are Sikh American community leaders representing Gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) and civil rights organizations across the United States writing to voice our strongest support for one among us, Harmeet Kaur Dhillon,” the letter said.
Singh is director of the Fresno-based civil rights group, Jakara Movement.
Fuentes called Singh’s support, “a lapse in judgment.” He criticized Dhillon for refusing to investigate Immigration and Custom Enforcement after the death of Renee Good — a protester in Minnesota killed by ICE officers after she drove her car in their direction — in January.
Singh explained why he signed the letter.
“Ultimately our board of directors sort of decided, so I put my name. I was part of a larger coalition. So yeah, it was out there,” Singh said.
Singh said he “absolutely (does) not” support Dhillon today.
ICE and the District 1 race
Earlier this year, Fuentes quit his job as a federal prosecutor. He said he was being forced out because of his public criticism of ICE.
During the Biden Administration, Fuentes worked on civil rights, fraud and wildfire cases. When Donald Trump returned as president, Fuentes worked immigration cases.
Fending off accusations he helped with deportation cases, Fuentes told The Bee in July that he defended the government in habeas corpus cases — when detained immigrants challenged the government’s right to hold them.
Singh pointed out the differences between the candidates on their views of ICE.
“I actually don’t know enough of his. I think he published something that that seemed a buck late, an hour short, but I think the bigger question is more about integrity, and when do you share your work? What type of work you do? I think that’s actually the biggest difference,” Singh said.
Said Fuentes: “You cannot campaign as a progressive, yet be the guy who helped hand the civil rights division over to the literal former head of Lawyers for Trump.”
On his Instagram account, Fuentes posted a message on Aug. 26, “ICE out of Fresno.”
The Fresno Bee
David joined The Fresno Bee in 2026 as Civic Watchdog Reporter. He covers elected officials from the Central Valley and the ins and outs of local elections and politics. David also keeps a sharp eye on how your local tax dollars are spent. David previously worked at GV Wire for 10 years. Born in Los Altos, California, David graduated from the University of Michigan and has lived in Fresno for two decades with his family.