Fresno officials, especially Republicans, must stand against Trump’s mass deportations | Opinion
Elected officials across the central San Joaquin Valley – especially those who identify as Republican – are being forced to choose sides over immigration.
Are they loyal to their community, or are they loyal to Donald Trump?
And if the answer is “both,” which allegiance comes first?
Now that our Fearmonger-in-Chief is following through on his campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of undocumented people living and toiling in this country, as well as threatening local authorities who stand in the way, such questions must be asked.
Trump’s barrage of executive orders included a chilling warning to state and local “actors” who resist, obstruct or in any way fail to comply with “lawful immigration-related commands and requests.”
“The law is clear that harboring an illegal alien, smuggling an illegal alien, obstructing law enforcement, obstructing an official proceeding and a conspiracy to violate the rights of Americans, all of these and many more are criminal statutes,” Trump’s policy advisor, Stephen Miller, said on Fox News.
“So if there (are) incidences that occur where a public official or an elected individual engages in violations of those criminal statutes, then I fully expect the Department of Justice will follow the letter of the law.”
Trump’s edict effectively places a target on the backs of local officials, mostly Democrats, who have introduced and supported legislation to make it possible for undocumented immigrants to work, attend schools and receive state medical coverage
But in the Valley and in particular Fresno County, authorities with the greatest purview over undocumented arrests are Republicans. Primarily Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer (who oversees the police department) and Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni.
But guess what? Judging by their official statements and public comments, neither sounds eager to jump aboard the mass deportation train.
“The Fresno Police Department will not inquire about a person’s immigration status, nor will officers assist federal officials in immigration sweeps or enforcement activity,” Dyer said last week. “Our officers will continue to focus on criminal activity and not on whether a person is undocumented.”
Sheriff: We follow state law
Zanoni struck a similar tone in a recent interview, insisting his deputies operate in accordance with SB 54, the state law prohibiting local law enforcement from playing a role in federal immigration raids – with exceptions for undocumented individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes.
“Just because there’s a different person in the White House, to us, that’s not going to change how we do business because we are regulated and we have to comply with SB 54,” Zanoni told Fresnoland.
Under former Sheriff Margaret Mims, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were permitted to enter the vestibule area of the Fresno County jail and make arrests, a 2018 Bee investigation revealed.
Zanoni said that is no longer department policy – and hasn’t been since before he took office in January 2023.
“I know under my time as sheriff, (ICE arrests in the jail vestibule) have not been allowed,” Zanoni added.
By not caving to Trump’s mass deportation agenda, even in the face of potential repercussions from his overzealous minions, Dyer and Zanoni both men deserve praise. Even though I don’t believe for a nanosecond the Trump administration would ever press charges against a locally elected Republican.
Can you picture Dyer and Zanoni being led in handcuffs and leg irons to a federal paddy wagon because Fresno police and/or sheriffs didn’t help ICE round up a gardener or motel maid who isn’t a U.S. citizen? Me neither.
Still, their stance is sure to aggravate Trump’s most strident, inflexible supporters. People who have little concept about how the Valley’s economy actually works.
Mass deportations would devastate
If every undocumented farm worker, processing plant employee, construction worker, home health aide and house cleaner were rounded up and suddenly deported, hundreds of businesses (many of them owned by Republican voters) would quickly tank.
And, please, spare me the retort about how those openings would be filled by entitled Americans who haven’t worked a day of hard labor in their lives. We’re too soft, lazy and willing to collect unemployment checks.
Another aspect to this, something else Trump and his ilk appear blind to, is community trust. If undocumented immigrants don’t report crimes or are unwilling to serve as witnesses, the job of local law enforcement becomes exceedingly more difficult and fewer actual criminals will face justice.
“We have worked hard to earn the trust of our immigrant community and to ensure that they feel comfortable reaching out to law enforcement when they need help or to provide information to officers,” Dyer said.
“If federal mandates require local law enforcement to participate in immigration enforcement, I want to be very clear: Fresno will not sacrifice the trust we’ve worked so hard to build with our community.”
Dyer, to his credit, understands who he works for. Notably, it’s not Donald Trump.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Fresno officials, especially Republicans, must stand against Trump’s mass deportations | Opinion."
