Several people detained by ICE in Fresno during apparent traffic stops, watch group says
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- Valley Watch Network confirmed multiple ICE detentions across Fresno and Stockton.
- Legal observers reported detentions during traffic stops, appointments and public outings.
- Faith in the Valley urged families to prepare emergency plans and report collusion.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have detained several people in Fresno in recent weeks, according to Faith in the Valley, which operates a watch network on ICE and Border Patrol activities in the Central Valley.
One of those detainments happened early Monday morning near the Woodward Park area in Fresno. Nora Zaragoza-Yáñez, a program manager for Faith in the Valley’s Valley Watch Network, said ICE agents detained the man while on his way to work. The man’s family suspects he was targeted by ICE, Zaragoza-Yáñez said.
That same day, ICE agents detained a gardener in Clovis while he was on his way to work. Clovis Police confirmed that ICE gave notice that federal agents would be operating in the city.
Monday’s detainments were part of a noticeable rise in suspected ICE activity in the Central Valley, Zaragoza-Yáñez said. She said the recent cases have involved smaller-scale tactics by ICE and share similarities in how they unfolded.
Some of the people who were detained, she said, were driving and then pulled over by ICE. Those detained were under the belief they were experiencing a traffic stop conducted by local law enforcement.
“It’s been one heck of a year already — and we’re barely 19 days in,” she said. “The feeling is that there’s increased enforcement, with ICE testing their bandwidth and response times.”
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zaragoza-Yáñez said the detainment near Woodward Park involved two DEA agents and another unidentified federal agent. The man was driving alone and was taken to the ICE processing center in Fresno. As of Monday, the family had not yet been informed which detention facility he would be transferred to.
Some federal agencies, including the DEA, have been deputized with immigration enforcement authority, Zaragoza-Yáñez said.
Faith in the Valley also reported an ICE detainment near Belmont and Mariposa streets in Fresno on Monday after receiving calls from community members.
Legal observers confirmed that someone had been detained, Zaragoza-Yáñez said.
“We don’t yet know how the person was detained or what led up to it,” she said, adding that the organization is still gathering information through its reporting process.
Armida Mendoza, a volunteer attorney with the Valley Watch Network, responded to the ICE arrest in Clovis on Monday and said that it appeared to be a targeted operation. A Clovis Police spokesperson said ICE notified the department Monday morning that agents would be present in the city and said no local assistance was needed.
Another detention occurred last week at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Fresno. Zaragoza-Yáñez said legal observers witnessed the detention.
According to legal observers, masked ICE agents placed the individual in handcuffs and escorted him from the back of the USCIS building during a morning appointment. The man was attending a family-based adjustment-of-status interview with his wife when he was detained.
After the organization posted about the incident, the man’s family contacted Faith in the Valley, triggering a detention report that was immediately shared with volunteer immigration attorneys who assist detainees either in person or by phone.
“When a detention report comes in, it gets sent out right away to attorneys who volunteer their time to respond,” Zaragoza-Yáñez said. “Then there’s follow-up with the family.”
The organization also confirmed an ICE detention in Stockton over the weekend. Zaragoza-Yáñez said the man was driving with his family to shop for groceries when ICE agents detained him following what appeared to be a traffic stop.
“ICE has no authority to conduct traffic stops,” she said, adding that the family believes racial profiling played a role in the detention. The man was taken to the ICE processing center in Stockton, and as of Monday, the family had not yet been told where he would be held.
She urged families to create emergency and family preparedness plans before a detention occurs, noting that delays in accessing documents and information can slow legal response efforts.
“Each moment is so crucial,” Zaragoza-Yáñez said.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Several people detained by ICE in Fresno during apparent traffic stops, watch group says."
