California Farmworkers Fear Crackdown as Immigration Raids Sweep Rural Communities
Advocates Warn of Escalating Deportation Efforts as Trump Prepares to Take Office
Los Angeles California – Immigration raids in a rural California county have sent shockwaves through farmworker communities, raising concerns about intensified crackdowns on undocumented laborers as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office.
The three-day operation in Kern County, conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in early January, resulted in the detention of at least 78 individuals, according to officials. However, the United Farm Workers (UFW) union estimates that the actual number of arrests may be closer to 200.
“The fields were almost empty the day after the raids,” said Alejanda, a 38-year-old undocumented farmworker who declined to give her last name. “Orchards that are usually full of people felt deserted when I returned to work.”
Many workers stayed home out of fear, she explained. “I didn’t go to work the next day, and I kept my five-year-old son home from daycare. Everyone is afraid.”
Raids Signal Tougher Immigration Policies
The operation is being viewed by labor organizations as a sign of what’s to come under Trump’s administration, which has vowed to implement one of the largest deportation programs in U.S. history. Trump’s campaign rhetoric frequently portrayed undocumented immigrants as criminals, and advocates worry that immigration enforcement agencies are already acting with increased confidence.
Though those arrested represent a fraction of the estimated hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers supporting California’s agricultural industry, the psychological impact of the raids extends far beyond those detained.
For many farmworkers, undocumented status has long been a source of stress, making them vulnerable to lower wages, fewer workplace protections, and the constant threat of deportation. However, workplace raids like those in Kern County have been rare, Alejanda noted.
“I have been here for five years and never seen anything like this before,” she said, describing how workers were apprehended as they left the fields to go home.
Authorities Defend Enforcement, Advocates Dispute Claims
CBP defended the operation—named “Return to Sender”—stating that it targeted individuals with criminal records or ties to criminal organizations. The agency’s El Centro Sector, based near the U.S.-Mexico border, conducted the raids more than 300 miles north in Kern County.
“The El Centro Sector takes all border threats seriously,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino in a statement. “Our area of responsibility stretches from the U.S.-Mexico border all the way to the Oregon line, as mission and threat dictate.”
However, UFW spokesperson Antonio De Loera-Brust pushed back against CBP’s claims, arguing that the operation unfairly targeted farmworkers based on appearance.
“This was a broad sweep, not a targeted enforcement action,” he said. “By operating hundreds of miles from the border and relying on racial profiling, CBP is showing how emboldened immigration agencies have become in an increasingly hostile political climate.”
Among those arrested were two UFW members who had lived in the area for over 15 years and were fathers to U.S.-born children.
Growing Fears of Mass Deportations
With Trump’s inauguration set for Monday, immigrant communities fear that such operations will become routine under his administration.
“This could be the new normal,” De Loera-Brust warned. “We are deeply concerned about what this signals for immigrant communities across the country.”
As farmworkers brace for what could be a sweeping crackdown, advocates are calling for stronger protections and resistance against mass deportation efforts. But for those directly affected, the fear of returning to work remains very real.