BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 It\u2019s called \u201cOperation Safe California\u201d and it\u2019s putting Central Valley residents on high alert.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the beginning. I believe things are going to escalate from this moment on as we move through the next 45 days,\u201d said Immigration Attorney Ana Huerta.<\/p>\n
Huerta says the enforcement activity around Fresno mirrors what Kern County saw in 2025.<\/p>\n
Reports began October 6, when the Rapid Response Network of Kern said it confirmed sightings across the Central Valley and Central Coast.<\/p>\n
Two days later, the group reported about 61 people had been detained near Fresno, including people heading to work and at construction sites, shopping centers and gas stations.<\/p>\n
The activity comes amid ICE\u2019s \u201cOperation Safe California,\u201d which the Washington Examiner reports began near the San Diego border and is expected to last 45 days.<\/p>\n
ICE would not confirm the operation, citing operational security. Asking for a statement, a spokesperson responded, \u201cFor operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations. Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California.\u201d<\/p>\n
Congressman David Valadao says DHS told him enforcement is focused on people with active warrants and known criminal histories.<\/p>\n
But Huerta says the reality on the ground appears different.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that that\u2019s certainly not true. We know people are being targeted on their way too work, they may have never had interaction with immigration enforcement, they may have never had any interaction with criminal legal enforcement,\u201d said Huerta.<\/p>\n
The increase in raids has caused controversy across the state. The Nisei Farmers League, hosting a press conference to raise awareness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching children get pulled from their parents is unacceptable. How can we stand here and watch it happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Senator Alex Padilla also weighed in after an unannounced visit to an ICE holding facility in Los Angeles, where he says he learned immigration proceedings were taking place out of public view.<\/p>\n
Padilla criticized the administration\u2019s enforcement efforts, saying, \u201cThe Trump Administration is ramping up its indiscriminate immigration enforcement across California, and we know what that means: arrest first, questions later \u2014 even for people with legal status and, in some cases, U.S. citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here at home, Delano Mayor Salvador Solorio Ruiz is sharing his support and reminding people of their rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stand firmly with my undocumented community recognizing their invaluable contributions and advocating for their rights and dignity,\u201d said Ruiz.<\/p>\n
While no one knows for sure if, when, or where ICE agents could appear in Kern County, concerns over increased immigration enforcement are already being felt in our community.<\/p>\n
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 It\u2019s called \u201cOperation Safe California\u201d and it\u2019s putting Central Valley residents on high alert.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":491100,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,155,153,152,179,2871,5528,162,23,100,191352],"class_list":["post-491099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-downtown","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news","tag-community","tag-ice","tag-immigration-enforcement","tag-kern-county-news","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-operation-safe-california"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491099","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=491099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/491100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}