Hundreds of Bakersfield residents gather to protest against Border Patrol raids

On Friday morning, farm workers, local residents and organizations like the United Farm Workers Foundation (UFW) and Rapid Response Network gathered together in solidarity to protest the detention of undocumented immigrants by the Border Patrol in Kern County.

The protest took place on the corner of Ming Ave and Wible Road near Valley Plaza Mall. Protesters were also seen on the Highway 99 overpass bridge.

The Border Patrol’s operations began on Tuesday, January 7, when the House of Representatives passed its first bill of the year, a border security measure mandating the detention and deportation of unauthorized immigrants charged with theft-related offenses, such as shoplifting and burglary. 

On the same day that the Laken Riley Act bill was passed, Border Patrol agents were spotted in Bakersfield. Even though the operation only lasted three days, it brought great fear to the undocumented immigrant community in the city. Markets and fields were empty, as was the local swap meet on Friday night. 

Juana Baena, a local resident and farm worker, told CALÓ News that with all this happening, the economy is in ruins because many of them cannot work. “Nuestros compañeros los han seguido hasta el campo y los han sacado. Entonces nuestra gente ahorita tiene miedo de salir a la calle, de salir a la tienda y de salir al trabajo. Nuestra economía va a bajar más de lo que ya está,” said Baena, in English: “They have followed our people into the field and they have taken them out. So our people are scared to go out into the street, to go to the store and go to work. Our economy will go down more than it already is.” 

The first statement by the agents with the El Centro Sector Border Patrol said that they were in Kern County focusing on the smuggling of trafficking of drugs and humans. On Friday the U.S. Border Patrol released another statement, which stated: “Our operation focused on interdicting those who have broken U.S. federal law, trafficking of dangerous substances, non-citizen criminals and disrupting the transportation routes used by transnational criminal organizations. The U.S. Border Patrol is no stranger to operations in places like Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno and Sacramento, as the now-closed Livermore Border Patrol Sector regularly conducted enforcement operations over this area up to the mid-2000s.”

Many videos on social media surfaced where Border Patrol agents were not only targeting immigrants with criminal backgrounds but also targeting people on the freeways, in homes, at gas stations, shopping plazas, food markets and even the fields where many undocumented farmworkers work. There was even one video where Border Patrol had slashed tires so that the people getting stopped wouldn’t leave.

Reyna Olaguez, president and CEO of Building Healthy Communities Kern, said that Border Patrol agents are not here just for immigrants with criminal backgrounds. “That's right. We know that they lie. They're targeting our hardworking families and they're taking them along with them and they came prepared because they came with buses. They came with large vans. On the first day, they took around more than 200 people and so this is not OK. It's creating fear among our families, among our children and among our DACA students,” said Olaguez.

Over 60 agents used marked and unmarked cars in the three-day operation. According to Bakersfield Now, some of the detained individuals were from the following countries: Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico and China.

Xochitl Nuñez, a farmworker activist who attended the protest, told CALÓ News that they were not only taking criminal individuals but also people from the field. “Se están llevando gente trabajadora, nuestra gente que paga impuestos cada año, nuestra gente que pone en sus mesas la fruta y la verdura que ustedes están encargando. Yo creo que eso no es justo para nosotros porque estamos moralmente bien aquí. Así que pongan atención; yo creo que si ustedes van y buscan delincuentes, ustedes ya los tienen vistos en donde están, pero ellos no están en el campo; los delincuentes no están en el campo, los delincuentes están en las calles, ustedes deben de ir a las calles, no a los files, carajo.”

English translation: “They’re taking working people. Our people pay taxes every year, our people put fruit and vegetables that you are buying. I think this is not fair for us because we are fine here normally. So pay attention, I think if you are looking for criminals, you know where they are, but they are not in the fields. Criminals are not in the fields, they are in the streets, you should go to the streets.” 

Although the peaceful protest was scheduled to last only two hours, it eventually turned out to be a full-day event. Influencers were also spotted at the protest, like activist Flor Martinez, Itati Lopez and her mom, Doña Silvia and Benjy Chavez. 

“We're here to support all of our beautiful people and beautiful community from these Border Patrol people who think that they have the right to take advantage of our wonderful people that provide food for us on our table,” Lopez said. “I am here representing my town, all my beautiful people, and check this out: if you guys have anybody from Border Patrol hitting you guys up at your door knocking trying to get some info from you guys, make sure to hit up this number right here (661) 432-2230. I'm also going to be posting on my social media and they're going to be posting on their social media ways for you guys to know your rights and know how to answer these people and not allow them to treat you any different. And thank you to everybody that came.”

“It's going to take us to save us, so it's really you guys, each and every one of you guys, who are going to spread the word and that’s going to make this movement bigger than what it really is. We are doing this for our farm workers and we are doing this for the millions of undocumented community members in our country,” said Martinez.

Food trucks were giving out free food and a Banda attended as well. Over the weekend, the protest against Border Patrol expanded to the cities of Fresno and Los Angeles, in solidarity with the undocumented community. 

What happened in Kern County is only foreshadowing what awaits immigrants, farmworkers and businesses with the newly elected president, Donald Trump, who plans on doing mass deportations.