In Fresno County, immigrants represented 21.4% of the 979,915 residents as of 2016 according to Census Bureau estimates. The unauthorized or undocumented population in Fresno County is estimated by the Migration Policy Institute to number approximately 85,000. Despite this, neither the city of Fresno nor Fresno County has enacted a sanctuary ordinance to protect immigrants. Becoming a sanctuary city or county would provide critical protections for immigrants, including policies that foster inclusion and shield them from harmful federal immigration practices. This step would involve rejecting the enforcement of inhumane federal immigration laws that uproot individuals and tear families apart.⁠


While city and county officials have promised not to assist ICE in deportations, they have yet to commit to passing concrete sanctuary laws. Former Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims defied California’s immigrant protection laws, collaborating with ICE to deport individuals from local courthouses and jails. Additionally, ICE has been reported impersonating Fresno Police Department (FPD) officers, an incident to which FPD declined to respond directly. Instead, the department referred the Latino reporter investigating the issue to their Hispanic Residents Academy Class.⁠

Recently the Los Angeles City Council passed a sanctuary ordinance in order to protect immigrants from Trump’s inhumane mass deportation plan. “The sanctuary ordinance would not allow city resources to be used to arrest or detain anyone as part of a federal immigration effort. This includes city workers and city property. It would also ban city employees from asking about individuals' citizenship or immigration status.”⁠


“We can work to pass a sanctuary city ordinance in the city of Fresno. We didn't do that the last time Trump was in office. And that's something that we have an opportunity to do like other places in California.” -Sukaina Hussain⁠

In the meantime, many are left questioning why Fresno city and county officials have yet to implement protections for the immigrant community—a community they heavily depend on.

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