Short film examines a CalMatters investigation that helped prompt Border Patrol limits

A special screening of the short film "Operation: Return to Sender," which explores the inconsistencies and illegal actions during an immigration raid in Kern County in January, was held last Thursday, May 22, at the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. 

The event brought together journalists, lawyers and immigrant rights advocates. 

The film, which was made through a partnership between Evident Media and CalMatters, centers on the investigation and reporting that uncovered what happened earlier that year, on January 7, when, as CALÒ News reported, more than 65 United States Border Patrol agents arrived in Kern County. 

The operation was, as officials described it, a "highly targeted" raid on immigrants with criminal and deportation records, something that the investigative story by CalMatters reporter Sergio Olmos, in partnership with Evident and Bellingcat, proved to be untrue. 

The story and documentary both found that Border Patrol officials unlawfully targeted and detained people and that agents had no prior knowledge of criminal or immigration history for 77 of the 78 people arrested. 

In actuality, the immigration raid, which took place in the predominantly Latino community, targeted common people who were Brown or appeared to be farm laborers rather than specific targets who were alleged to have a criminal record, immigration history or previous deportations. 

The documentary, filmed by Kevin Clancy, begins in the El Centro sector, which has four Border Patrol stations located in the cities of El Centro, Calexico, Indio and Riverside. It features border patrol agent James Lee, who in the film said El Centro had zero crossings or entries of immigrants in the last few days. 

The documentary then jumps to the multiple videos shared of people documenting the arrival or sighting of El Centro sector agents in Kern County, which is about 322 miles from their offices. 

On Thursday, Olmos told attendees that he first heard about the raids when he was with his father, who received a call alerting him about the possibility of ICE, which Olmos later found out were actually Border Patrol agents. Olmos had been in Bakersfield visiting family. He said a lot of the initial investigation was conducted while visiting sites like Home Depots, worksites and gasoline stations where people had recorded the agents.  

The man in charge of that raid operation was Gregory Bovino, who agreed to be interviewed by Olmos and was also featured in the documentary. “A very particular character” is what both Olmos and filmmaker Clancy described him as.

In the movie, Bovino smiled confidently and claimed that all 78 of the people detained were criminals, citing the federal code for unlawful entry. He stated that he did not see any distinction between targeting drug dealers and undocumented field workers who make daily contributions to the citrus and agricultural industries. 

Also present at Thursday’s documentary screening was Eva Bitran, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, featured both in the short documentary and Olmos’ investigative story. 

Bitran touched on the ways this specific immigration raid and its findings touch on broader implications for immigration enforcement and civil liberties.

She explained that with the help of records gathered by Olmos as well as his written piece, the ACLU was able to win a case and a federal injunction, which now requires Border Patrol agents in California to document every stop and arrest, as well as prohibiting agents from detaining individuals without probable cause. 

The ruling, issued in response to the lawsuit by the ACLU, limits what the agents can do within the state. Britain said she hopes these types of wins are echoed and pave the way for a more just system, where immigrant rights are honored and protected. 

To read the full story by Olmos and see the short film, visit https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/04/border-patrol-records-kern-county/.