Immigration and Customs Enforcement

While Merced’s farming fields and packing plants appear to be operating as usual, advocates and workers say the more fragile, migrant cash-based economy of the region’s swap meets, colloquially known as “remates,” is showing signs of strain.

A study by a Bay Area think tank suggests California’s key industries would suffer without undocumented immigrant workers.

Over half of California farmworkers are undocumented. Recent raids have put the industry on edge.

Recent immigration arrests seen on video are showing an emerging pattern: more Border Patrol agents are working away from the border. With a drastic drop in illegal entries along the Mexican border, agents are being reassigned to assist with interior arrests as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement faces a daily arrest target of 3,000.

Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni shared new data on interactions between his office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2024 as part of the annual TRUTH Act forum required under state law.

The proposed installation is part of an aggressive effort to expand immigration detention nationally, and specifically to use property owned by the U.S. Department of Defense in service of President Donald Trump’s stated goal of deporting 1 million people in his first year in office.

A federal judge is barring the Trump administration from denying or conditioning the use of federal funds to “sanctuary” jurisdictions. U.S. Judge William Orrick said Thursday that a preliminary injunction was appropriate because President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting sanctuary cities were unconstitutional.

Schools in west Fresno are taking another step to ensure the safety of their students amid increased speculation of immigration enforcement activity in the Central Valley.

Zanoni said more cooperation with federal immigration authorities would lessen ICE’s presence within Fresno communities.

One of Trump's initial orders, titled “Protecting The American People Against Invasion,” called for a dramatic surge in border enforcement and, among other things, the dissolution of the Family Reunification Task Force.