Central Valley agriculture braces for ICE raids as harvests approach
Central Valley’s farmworkers, many undocumented immigrants, are set to begin picking tomatoes in a few weeks.
Today, they’re “showing up to work feeling a great deal of uncertainty,” one undocumented farmworker, speaking in Spanish, told The Fresno Bee this week.
Farmworkers, and growers, are bracing for the potential return of federal immigration enforcement operations to Central Valley’s agricultural spaces.
A Thursday webinar by the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety offered crew leaders and front line supervisors tips on how to prepare and respond if federal agents raid their workplaces. On Wednesday, the Fresno County Farm Bureau’s weekly newsletter included links to tip sheets with information on what employers should do if federal immigration agents show up to their fields.
In a state where it’s estimated that at least half of all farmworkers are undocumented, targeting laborers for immigration arrests would have “a devastating impact on the economy broadly,” said Mike Madrid, a political consultant and co-founder of the Lincoln Project.
“It’s everything from meat-packing to farm work, putting the food on the table that we enjoy at a low cost,” he said. “But it’s also construction, it’s also janitorial. The basic underpinnings of the economy don’t work without this workforce.”
The heightened concern stems from President Donald Trump’s move to ramp up immigration arrests through the use of more aggressive enforcement operations. In the past week, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have carried out those operations mostly in urban Southern California, raiding some workplaces and detaining day laborers outside of Home Depot stores.
But operations were spotted in California’s agricultural land Tuesday, when federal agents were seen conducting raids in Ventura County fields. The Los Angeles Times also reported agents’ presence in Tulare County, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told the newspaper it was conducting operations in the southern part of the state.
“One of the rumors was that they would stay away from agriculture,” said Mike Madrid, a political consultant and co-founder of the Lincoln Project. “But agriculture has been hit.”
Harvest approaching in Central Valley
The undocumented farmworker The Bee interviewed has been working in the Central Valley for 23 years.
He said the Trump administration’s immigration raids are creating fear among the people who work in the fields.
“Many of us are only going out for what’s necessary,” he said. “Families are sending out those who have papers to run errands. Preferably those with U.S. citizenship, because they are afraid that even those with legal residency will be taken.”
The tomato and garlic harvests are coming up, he added. After that, it’s grapes, almonds and pistachios.
“I’m going to see it, if Trump keeps this up, people will not go out to pick,” the worker said. “They will not go pick the fruits and vegetables.”
‘Business is about to be impacted’
A few months ago, Trump hinted at the possibility that his administration would be more lenient in its immigration enforcement when it came to farmworkers.
If they self-deported, these workers would be allowed to return legally to work, the president said.
But Madrid, the political consultant, said it’s impossible for the Trump administration to reconcile that idea with its target of 3,000 immigration arrests per day.
“To hit the quota numbers that they’re talking about,” he said, “it’s not just about violent criminals. It’s everybody.”
The California Farm Bureau on Wednesday told The Bee it “reiterates its support of agricultural employees throughout the state.” The bureau sent The Bee a statement it released in January, after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation in Kern County resulted in the arrest of at least 78 people. But the bureau said it would not comment further at this time.
In the statement, Bryan Little, the bureau’s senior director of policy advocacy, said: “Farm employees are not just workers—they are partners in this industry. They are people with families, dreams and an incredible work ethic that keeps food on tables across America. We understand the uncertainty some might feel right now, and we want to be absolutely clear: California’s farmers stand with you.”
“Without these employees, crops would go unharvested, rural businesses would suffer and food prices could rise for families across the country,” Little said. “The problem with the current approach to federal immigration enforcement is that it is having a disruptive effect on food production. We’re still early in the season, with limited harvest activity, but that will soon ramp up.”
Madrid noted the support that the Trump campaign received last year from farmers, including those in California.
“They could speak out against this,” he said. “But look, there’s a reason you don’t feed the crocodiles: They’re going to eat you next.”
“Any farmers who supported this, be prepared,” Madrid continued. “Your business is about to be impacted seriously. The whole economy of the Central Valley will be.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Central Valley agriculture braces for ICE raids as harvests approach."
