This story was updated on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Border patrol agents descended into Kern County this week to conduct an operation that immigrant advocates say has already netted hundreds of arrests. There are plans by immigration officials to expand the operation across the Central Valley – as far north as Sacramento.
Since Monday, social media has been flooded with sightings of border agents primarily around Kern County, but sightings were reported in other Valley counties by Thursday. White vehicles emblazoned with the “U.S. Customs and Border Protection” seal and a green stripe have lined highways, rural roads, and parking lots, according to multiple images and videos in the Valley.
Unmarked border patrol vehicles are also believed to be used by agents who are conducting arrests. According to reports by community organizations, an estimated 192 arrests have been made. Meanwhile, the official figure released by border patrol officials on Friday is 78.
The heavy law enforcement presence is rippling widely across the Valley, igniting farmworker fears and threatening local businesses that serve them. The United Farm Workers union said one of its members is among those who were detained.
A ‘big shock’
The Chevron Station in north Bakersfield known as The Barn is typically a farmworker hotspot. Every morning, truckloads stop for snacks and drinks on their way to orchards and fields.
“Not anymore,” cashier Sara Fuentes told KVPR on Thursday.
Business has screeched to a halt since border patrol agents detained several farm workers just outside of the station on Tuesday, she said.
“It was a big shock” seeing nearly a dozen men restrained in zip ties, she said. “Some of the cars were still at the gas pump.”
Nearby farms also reported big dips in employee attendance, with droves of fearful workers choosing to stay home. As one holdout put it to Fuentes: “I have a family to feed; I can’t stay home. I’m going with fear but I have to go, even if I don’t make it back home.”
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency issued a statement to media on Wednesday, confirming their operation, but gave little detail about what triggered the presence of agents in the Valley or who exactly they were after.
“The U.S. Border Patrol conducts targeted enforcement arrests of individuals involved in smuggling throughout our areas of operation as part of our efforts to dismantle transnational criminal organizations,” the statement from the border patrol said.
Will operation expand?
The agency further elaborated in social media posts to say their enforcement actions are part of “Operation Return to Sender.”
Among the arrests, immigration officials said, are two alleged child rapists “and several other criminals”
The border patrol agency said they planned to expand their action to counties like Fresno and Sacramento.
Pro-immigrant groups in the Valley are protesting the border patrol operation, which they say is unfairly targeting farmworkers. A protest is planned for Friday in Bakersfield.
Several groups are also offering legal support to immigrants who may be at risk.
“Please do not go into panic. Please do not open the door if [an immigration agent] comes to your office or to your house,” Eleazar Valdez, who works for the immigrant support nonprofit Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative, or CVIIC. “They have to bring an official document … signed by an immigration judge.”
Valdez told KVPR that he was informed at least one person who was arrested this week was already deported. Border patrol officials said among those who have been arrested are people from Peru, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Ecuador and China.
Farmworkers have taken to social media apps like TikTok to report their own sightings of border agents, as they stand amid orchards and vineyards. Some workers stated in Spanish that their colleagues have begun to miss work out of fear. Shopping centers in areas of Bakersfield were emptied since Monday, according to news reports.
@rosarioorosete Migración en los fil #campo#migracio#fil#@Carlos_Eduardo_Espina ♬ sonido original - Rosario🫂🦋RH
Arrests come ahead of Trump’s promise of deportations
The arrests by border agents has sparked concerns as President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office. In his campaign, he has promised a mass deportation campaign among other immigration priorities.
California is one of Trump’s biggest challengers on issues like immigration, and has declared itself a sanctuary state. That status means the state does not actively cooperate with immigration officials. Several major cities in the state have also declared sanctuary status.
Before the new year, California Attorney General Rob Bonta re-issued guidance to public institutions first issued in 2018 to prohibit unauthorized collection of information of residents by immigration officials.
The guidelines apply to places like courthouses, healthcare facilities, shelters, and public schools, including colleges.
During an encounter with immigration agents, people can refuse to be searched without probable cause, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Advocates also say people, regardless of immigration status, have a right to remain silent during the encounter. Advocates recommend staying calm and avoiding resisting.
People are also asked not to lie about their status or provide false documents. Non-U.S. citizens should carry immigration documents with them at all times, the ACLU says.
Ripples from operation
State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, who represents areas of Kern County, said Thursday the border patrol arrests in the Valley have deepened fears among the immigrant community.
“At the same time, farmers and community members are raising concerns about the broader impacts on our district’s economy and workforce,” Hurtado said. “These actions are not just affecting individuals — they’re rippling through our entire community.”
Hurtado said she, like others, agree that criminals should be arrested, but that public safety and stability “go hand in hand.” She said immigration officials should establish trust with immigrant communities and law enforcement.
Undocumented workers make up nearly half of California’s agricultural workforce, according to the Department of Labor. These workers dominate industries like agriculture, manufacturing and construction.
Leaders in other industries are concerned about the prospect of further mass deportations. The National Association of Home Builders told NBC last year it considers foreign-born workers, regardless of legal status, “a vital and flexible source of labor” and that their loss would be “detrimental to the construction industry and our labor supply and exacerbate our housing affordability problems.”
Valley law enforcement agencies say they are not involved in the border patrol arrests. Before the new year, the Fresno Police Department said, for example, it will not cooperate with federal immigration agents unless the immigrant in question is facing criminal charges. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office issued a similar statement at the time.
As the border patrol operation expands, Huron Police Department Police Chief Tony Fuentes issued a letter to the community Thursday assuring them the department would serve and protect the community “regardless of where you come from or your immigration status.”
“We do not enforce immigration laws, nor do we stop or question individuals based on their immigration status,” Fuentes added.
