Last week, the U.S. Border Patrol carried out an operation in Kern County, Central California, targeting individuals violating federal laws, combating the trafficking of dangerous substances, and apprehending non-citizen criminals. A total of 78 illegal immigrants were arrested, including a Chinese national suspected of fraud, sparking concern and panic within the local immigrant community.
The U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) is a branch of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). “CBP typically intercepts illegal immigrants within 100 miles of the border, but this location is over 200 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, which is quite worrisome,” said Los Angeles immigration lawyer, Chen Chuangchuang, in an interview.
According to local media outlet “FOX 58,” over sixty agents conducted a three-day operation in Bakersfield and surrounding areas, leading to protests from hundreds of community members. Protesters argued that the arrests were inappropriate and inhumane, claiming that many of those detained were actually farmworkers.
In a Facebook post, CBP explained that the arrested Chinese national was accused of defrauding an elderly dementia patient of $70,000. “We remain steadfast in our efforts to protect all communities across the U.S. from those seeking to harm or exploit them,” the post read. “This local operation highlights some of the egregious actions taken by certain illegal immigrants against vulnerable groups in the U.S.”
CBP also announced plans for the next phase of operations in Fresno and Sacramento in Northern California. Despite President Trump’s pledge for the largest-ever immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history, the agency’s enforcement actions were initiated two weeks before Trump’s inauguration and therefore not directly instructed by him.
According to Chen Chuangchuang, while officials claim to only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal records, family members of those detained informed local council members that even non-criminal Mexicans were taken into custody.
“They set up checkpoints randomly, at gas stations, roadsides, supermarkets, which has caused great panic in the local immigrant community,” Chen Chuangchuang said. He believes that this operation signals the readiness of various federal government departments to legally arrest individuals to initiate deportation proceedings.
He explained that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has about 7,000 law enforcement officers responsible for deportations, with around 1.5 million illegal immigrants subject to deportation orders. ICE lacks the capacity to deport such a large number of individuals, but with about 60,000 CBP officers and additional department resources, it could lead to “alarming” outcomes.
Who is most likely to be arrested? “First, those with deportation orders, followed by those with criminal records who are in the most precarious situation,” Chen Chuangchuang said. Once apprehended, it is difficult for these individuals to fight against deportation, as the U.S. government can directly remove them.
For those without deportation orders, awaiting court hearings, they have an opportunity to appeal to a judge. “Only judges can issue deportation orders. Unless those who just entered the border fail the fear interview, Immigration and Customs Enforcement can issue deportation orders without the need for further court appearances.”
Chen Chuangchuang further explained that even individuals holding green cards may face deportation if they commit crimes in the U.S. “It depends on the nature of the crime, how long ago it occurred, and whether there is genuine evidence of repentance. For serious crimes, like rape, deportation is inevitable,” he emphasized. “Legally speaking, those without legal status can be arrested, but the priority targets are those with deportation orders and criminal records.”
In an official statement by CBP, all those arrested last week were residing illegally in the U.S., including individuals convicted of sex crimes, serious weapon possession offenses with arrest warrants, multiple cases of drunk driving and hit-and-runs. Others were involved in convictions such as failure to appear, altering vehicles, misdemeanor theft, felony drug possession, vandalism, burglary, domestic violence, and child abuse. The operations also uncovered multiple instances of personal use of marijuana and methamphetamine.