The UFW Foundation confirmed that there was an ICE operation Thursday morning in Arvin. The activity was confirmed at the Arvin Car Wash on Bear Mountain and Walnut Drive.
Immigration attorney Ambar Tovar with the UFW Foundation said legal assistance is being provided to those detained.
"So far, we have the names of two individuals that in fact were taken. We have a Rapid Response attorney who is on site at the ICE office to try to provide legal assistance to those individuals," Ambar Tovar said.
I was at the scene, where video shows people wearing vests at the business. Many people I tried to speak with there didn't want to go on camera.
Carlos agreed to speak, but only if his face was not shown.
"I don't think this is good, they shouldn't be bothering people," Carlos said. "The people who are here are humble, and they're hard-working people."
He believes the incident could keep people from leaving their homes.
"If this already happened, many will not want to go out," Carlos said.
Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon said local families helped sound the alarm.
"It was families who live here in Arvin that called the rapid Response hotline to alert Kern Rapid Response that these detentions had taken place," Calderon said.
ICE agents were also spotted in Bakersfield, apparently arresting someone in the parking lot of Superior Grocers on White Lane.
Tovar said fear is now rippling through Arvin's agricultural community.
"People are really afraid. They saw ICE agents near farms and patrolling areas around farm workers. People are really afraid right now," Tovar said.
Tovar is urging families to know their rights and use the Rapid Response Hotline if someone they know is detained.
"If you or your loved one is detained, call the hotline. That is the first line of defense that we have here locally. Family members can call with name information, whatever known information that they may have, and that is is how our legal attorneys are activated to respond," Tovar said.
I reached out to ICE for comment on its operation. In a statement, ICE said that for security reasons, it will not disclose or discuss its law enforcement operations.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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