‘That’s not what people voted for’: County, city leaders working to support Fresno’s immigrant community

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – In the wake of immigration raids happening across the U.S., a group of elected officials and community leaders are working together to support Fresno’s immigrant community.

Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez discussed his vision for a support group back after meeting with city leaders and local organizations in November 2024.

He sat down with YourCentralValley.com Wednesday to discuss the growth of the Immigration Affairs Working Group and how the committee is supporting Fresno County in the midst of anti-ICE protests popping up around the country.

“The panic is real, the fear is real,” Chavez said. “President Trump talked about during the campaign apprehending violent criminals, which I think everybody supports. Nobody’s against that. But when you’re going after, you know, working moms and single moms out there, that are just trying to put food on the table. That I think is not what was promised. That’s not what people voted for.”

One example in Southern California details a mom being detained and deported after she attended an immigration hearing for an update on her case.

Chavez says it’s cases like these causing anxiety for immigrants up and down the Golden State, including Fresno. 

He’s been relying on the joint committee established alongside Fresno City Council Member Miguel Arias to keep his finger on the pulse of concerns coming from the community. 

“They’re starting to see a little bit more angst, of the uncertainty when you have families that don’t know if they’re going to get rounded up or if they’re going to show up to the court date and then they’re going to get apprehended there,” he said.

Chavez says right now they’re focused on how to best provide support for those living in fear.

“I get daily reports of what’s happening in certain food processing plants or farms or other industries, and that’s been very helpful for me as a policymaker because that helps me allocate resources,” Chavez explained. “We are going to have a couple of meetings. We actually have a couple of scheduled already to work with these service providers and that’s what I’m going to gauge. Okay. ‘What kind of increases are you seeing? Are they mental health services? What about children?’ We’re getting a lot of reports of children that are now scared to go to school. That’s the most heart wrenching part.”

Chavez says the conversations he’s having now with the committee will help determine what financial resources are needed to better serve Fresno community members.