On January 26, 2025, labor and immigrant rights advocates met outside Fresno City Hall for a press conference condemning the recent and ongoing wave of unconstitutional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) and Border Patrol actions and calling on local businesses to stand with immigrant communities.
Stan Santos opened the event by underscoring the importance of solidarity in a time of fear and division.
“We think it's critical that at this time we really work together. The panic and everything that's taken place on a national level. It finally came to Fresno. It was just a matter of time and we shouldn't let them divide us,” Santos said.
He described recent incidents throughout California, including the assault of a man in Santa Ana, “thrown to the ground and beaten violently on video,” and ICE targeting flea markets, like in Santa Fe Springs where several people were arrested and detained.
The speakers emphasized violations of the U.S. Constitution, particularly the Fourth Amendment’s protection from illegal search and seizure. Activist Gloria Hernandez cited a recent court ruling in UFW v. U.S. Border Patrol, which prohibits warrantless arrests and requires documentation of enforcement actions.
“This order rightfully upholds the law... Border Patrol can’t just wait outside communities snatching up hard-working people without due process just for being brown and working class,” Hernandez said.
Leonel Flores with May First Coalition (left) and Felipe Perez, Huron city council member (right).
Speakers also highlighted that businesses and immigrants should be viewed as "one community" and that business owners have constitutional rights to refuse random searches on their private property, suggesting this could help maintain economic stability in the region.
"If a business owner cannot stand firm and say, 'I will honor and respect the consumer that comes and purchases from me,' then I got a problem… will most certainly shop only where all people are welcome with open arms and open hearts,” Hernandez stated.
Felipe Perez, Firebaugh city councilmember and a former farmworker emphasized the humanity of immigrant workers and rejected the criminalization of those doing essential labor.
"They said ‘we are deporting criminals.’ Where are there criminals? They're inside of the jails. They're inside of their homes. They're not working on the fields, they're not working on the restaurants,” said Perez.
Speakers also pushed back against media outlets and officials who downplayed reports of ICE activity as rumors.
“We’ve seen their cars. We’ve seen it happen. We’ve got testimony,” said Hernandez. “We are building a case.”
Activists urged the community to respond with mutual aid, education, and constitutional literacy.
“Escort people to the clinics, to grocery stores. This is the time for us to support essential workers,” said Hernandez.
In closing, organizer Leonel Flores reminded the crowd of the May 1st Coalition’s immigrant rights actions and called for renewed unity heading into 2026.
“We are going to celebrate the 20th anniversary next year. And I hope we bring a lot of people here to ask for immigration reform and to stop the attack of the immigrant community,” Flores concluded.
The coalition is calling for volunteers, legal observers, and business owners to join their efforts to uphold rights, resist unlawful enforcement, and protect the region’s immigrant workforce.
