Federal immigration agents (ICE) have launched large-scale operations in California’s Central Valley, triggering panic among Latino communities and accusations of voter intimidation ahead of the US midterm congressional elections.
The raids were approved by the White House back in early October, Reuters reports, citing an internal email and government sources.
Unlike previous large-scale operations in major cities, agents here are working in small teams, moving from town to town. According to the farmworkers’ union, hundreds of farm workers have been detained in recent weeks, most of whom had no criminal record. In the city of Bakersfield, the number of daily arrests has risen from one to ten.
The situation could significantly affect the election results in California’s 22nd congressional district, where 73% of the population is Latino. The race is between progressive Democrat Randy Villegas and Republican David Valadao. Villegas called the actions of law enforcement an outright attempt to intimidate voters. In response, Valadao said he understands the public’s concerns, but urged Donald Trump’s administration to focus deportations only on those who pose a genuine threat to security.
Human rights advocates and residents say that because of the raids even young US citizens of Latino heritage are afraid to go to polling stations, as they fear the disclosure of information about their undocumented relatives. The US Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the details of the operations and the accusations of pressure on voters, citing staff safety.