Central Valley’s Immigrant Community Under Assault

On January 10, 2025, hundreds of people gathered on Ming Avenue and Wibble Road in Bakersfield to protest the unexpected appearance of Border Patrol Officers from the El Centro Sector, who are based in Imperial, CA. While over 300 miles away from the city, the distance did not stop them from detaining 78 people on Tuesday. 

News of the sweep flooded social media. As people grieved the assault on their community, U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino, said “Here in the #PremierSector we go the extra mile—or 500 of them—to protect our nation and communities from bad people and bad things...” on his Facebook page.

In a response to a supporter’s comment he said that, “We are planning operations for other locals such as Fresno and especially Sacramento.”

Fresno is outside of the Border Patrol’s 100 mile border jurisdiction so it is unclear what is meant by “planning operations.” When asked about this he cited 8 U.S.C. 1357 and 19 U.S.C. 1589a. and  commented that the, “100 mile rule is not accurate”.  He has not responded to our request to elaborate.

"The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects people from random and arbitrary stops and searches. Although the federal government claims the power to conduct certain kinds of warrantless stops within 100 miles of the U.S. border, important Fourth Amendment protections still apply."-American Civil Liberties Union

Amid heightened Border Patrol and ICE activity, understanding and asserting your rights has become increasingly critical. Regardless of citizenship status, you have rights based on the 4th and 5th amendments. They include the right to remain silent and refuse to sign anything without a lawyer present, to speak to a lawyer, to make a phone call, to demand a warrant and deny entry to authorities without one. Additionally, community organizations are stepping up by organizing Know Your Rights workshops to provide essential guidance and support.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) created the Red Card to aid immigrants in asserting their rights in the event that they are approached by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Border Patrol. They are the size of a business card and can help immigrants assert their rights.

The card is an important, grounding tool  in the stressful event that ICE approaches someone at their home, in traffic, in a public place, etc. ICE officers will not explain your rights to you so it is crucial that you know and assert them. Additionally, in the event that a person cannot or chooses not to speak, the red card can be handed over to communicate that you are aware of your rights.

uSpark will be passing out Red Cards on Wednesday, January 15th from 5PM-9PM at Sun Stereo Warehouse (736 Fulton St, Fresno, CA 93721). In addition, we will be creating a map of several locations where individuals can pick up red cards in Fresno. They are available to all community members regardless of immigration status. We encourage people to hand them out to loved ones and community members. If you have a business or organization and would like to carry them, please contact us as usparkmars@gmail.com to request how many you would like in English, Spanish, or Punjabi.