Immigration crackdown expanding in Central California, Border Patrol says in update

Melissa Montalvo, The Sacramento Bee on Jan 9, 2025

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A Border Patrol chief says dozens of agents detained two child rapists and “other criminals” from several countries as part of a Kern County immigration enforcement operation — and that operations could expand to Fresno and Sacramento.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino said in statements on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram Wednesday morning the department had made several arrests. Bovino is Chief of the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector, near the U.S.-Mexico Border.

“Operation Return to Sender was an overwhelming success from day one. Two child rapists (one raped an 8 year old girl), aggravated felons, 36 pounds of narcotics and several other criminals were arrested. We continue to field dozens of Border Patrol Agents in Kern County and surrounding area looking for more of the same,” Bovino wrote on Instagram and Facebook.

In another comment on its Facebook post Thursday afternoon, the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector confirmed agents have arrested people in Kern County “who are unlawfully in the U.S.” from Peru, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador and China.

The Border Patrol’s operations could be expanding beyond Kern County.

“We are planning operations for other locals such as Fresno and especially Sacramento,” the U.S. Border Patrol El Centro Sector said in a comment on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon.

It’s not immediately clear how many people have been detained or where they are being held. Nor was it clear Thursday afternoon when federal Border Patrol agents could be carrying out enforcement operations further north in Fresno and Sacramento, and for how long.

It’s also unclear why the team was conducting operations so far away from its area of responsibility. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection website, the El Centro Sector is situated within the Imperial Valley of Southern California and is responsible for 71 miles along the International Boundary with Mexico.

A spokesperson for CBP was unavailable for comment Thursday about the nature of the operation.

Attempts to reach Bovino were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon.

News of U.S. Customs and Border Protection activity throughout Kern County this week — including within the city limits of Bakersfield, Porterville, Delano and Lindsay — circulated widely on TikTok and social media, where people went to raise alarms and warn others to avoid certain areas.

Television station 17 News Bakersfield reported Tuesday that the Bakersfield Police Department confirmed they had been notified by the Department of Homeland Security that U.S. Customs and Border Protection would be conducting operations “within (Bakersfield) city limits and the Kern County area.”

“The U.S. Border Patrol conducts targeted enforcement arrests of individuals involved in smuggling throughout our areas of operation as part of our efforts to dismantle transnational criminal organizations,” a CBP spokesperson said in an email statement Wednesday afternoon.

Farmworkers are also being targeted, advocates say

Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David Kim told 23ABC News Bakersfield Wednesday they’re looking for specific individuals for this operation and are not targeting local farms or fieldworkers.

But immigrant rights advocates working in Kern County told The Bee that an estimated 219 individuals have been detained on Monday and Tuesday alone, including farmworkers and immigrants who have gone about their regular work routines.

“They are targeting drivers who are on their way to work to provide for their families. They are also focusing on a highway that farm workers routinely use to go to work,” Sofia Corona, directing attorney for the United Farm Workers Foundation, said in a statement.

Immigration advocates also told The Bee that they’re hearing from families that their loved ones are located at the Golden State Annex Detention Center in Kern County as well as a detention in Imperial County near the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to a press release from the congressional Committee on Homeland Security, Bovino was reinstated as Chief of the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector in August 2023.

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María G. Ortiz-Briones contributed to this report.

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