\u201cIf not for sanctuary policies, criminals would be handed over to ICE in jail settings,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they weren\u2019t acting in a lawless way by creating sanctuary states, which is against a federal law, we would not have to have ICE officers going into the community and finding these kinds of animals. So they\u2019re the ones who put them in this position in the situation that they\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Fresno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Fresno-County-authorities-stood-by-at-the-Tuesday-Jan.-13-2025-press-conference.-GV-WireJahziel-Tell.jpeg\")
Fresno County authorities stood by at the Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2025, press conference. (GV Wire\/Jahziel Tello)
\nBredefeld Responds to Questions on Protests, ICE Tactics<\/p>\n
When asked by reporters about concerns raised by immigrant communities in the Central Valley, including fears about attending immigration appointments or other daily activities, Bredefeld rejected the premise, saying ICE is targeting people with serious criminal records.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t buy the premise that they\u2019re sweeping up innocent people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bredefeld also defended ICE tactics used during arrests in other cities, including reports of agents breaking vehicle windows, saying officers may use force when suspects do not comply.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s a criminal illegal alien who\u2019s committed rape or murder and they\u2019re not compliant, I want law enforcement to get them out of this country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether there were active ICE operations currently underway in Fresno County, Bredefeld said he was not aware of any and noted that he does not oversee law enforcement activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not involved with their operations, so I can\u2019t answer that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bredefeld was also asked about protests held in Fresno last week related to immigration enforcement. He said demonstrations in Fresno have remained peaceful and said he supports lawful protest.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere we\u2019ve had peaceful demonstrations, which, frankly, I fully support,\u201d Bredefeld said.<\/p>\n
He said his concerns were focused on violent confrontations involving ICE agents in other parts of the country and warned that unrest could spread if not condemned by elected leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t take long for it to spread to other cities,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want that to happen here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bredefeld said peaceful protest does not include obstructing law enforcement vehicles, damaging property or throwing objects at officers, adding that such actions cross the line into violence.<\/p>\n
Other Officials Emphasize Peaceful Protest, Legislative Reform<\/p>\n
Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes emphasized the importance of peaceful protest, referencing the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of the upcoming holiday. Mendes said civil rights progress was achieved through nonviolent action, not intimidation or harassment of authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are ways to protest peacefully,\u201d Mendes said. \u201cHarassing law enforcement is not one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clovis City Councilmember Diane Pearce said Clovis\u2019 reputation as one of the safest cities in the Central Valley is due to community support for law enforcement and coordination across agencies, including federal authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rely on all our law enforcement partners to carry out their duties,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cThis includes federal immigration authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pearce cited a fatal DUI collision in Clovis in December 2024 involving an undocumented immigrant, saying the case shows that Fresno County is not immune from crimes committed by people in the country illegally. She echoed Bredefeld arguing that sanctuary policies prevent ICE agents from making arrests in secure jail settings, increasing risks during community enforcement operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur ICE agents are not choosing to apprehend these violent offenders out and about in our neighborhood,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cThey are being forced to carry out their essential public safety and national security operations among the general public.\u201d<\/p>\n
A statement from Assemblyman David Tangipa, read aloud by his staff member, condemned violence against law enforcement officers and called for peaceful debate over immigration policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can and should vigorously debate public policy,\u201d the statement said. \u201cBut there is no justification for attacking individuals who are tasked with carrying out the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig urged calm and legislative solutions, acknowledging deep divisions over immigration.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur immigration system is absolutely broken, and it needs to be reformed,\u201d Magsig said. \u201cThat reform needs to come through legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Magsig said state and federal lawmakers should focus on fixing the system rather than fueling conflict, adding that violence from any side is unacceptable.<\/p>\n
No representatives from immigrant advocacy organizations or opposing political groups spoke at the event. Opposing groups did not respond by time of publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld and several local elected officials on Tuesday called on leaders nationwide to condemn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132144,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":{"0":"post-132143","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-fresno","9":"tag-fresno-headlines","10":"tag-fresno-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}