ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — With increased border patrol presence in the county, some Arvin residents say people fear leaving their homes.
- Increased border patrol presence has caused fear among Arvin residents.
- Businesses in Arvin report decreased customer traffic due to border patrol operations.
- Witnesses report border patrol detaining a man near Shell gas station on Comanche Drive.
- The community has become like a ghost town with people staying home and avoiding stores.
- Know Your Rights Community Town Hall Meetings are ongoing, with one scheduled for Thursday at Bakersfield College.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As Border Patrol officials continue to be seen throughout the county, worry spreads among residents in places like Arvin. According to local businesses, it’s causing many people to fear leaving their homes, which then impacts them.
With the Border Patrol enforcement operation seemingly getting closer to Arvin city limits, business owner Eli Perez tells me the community has become almost like a ghost town.
"If you go around Arvin, you’ll see that almost everybody is home. Nobody is going to work, everybody is staying home, and nobody is even going to the stores. The stores are practically dead," said Perez.
Though border patrol presence has yet to be reported inside the city limits, multiple units were seen just miles away on Wednesday morning,
Witnesses at the Shell gas station located on Comanche Drive just off Highway 58 say border patrol detained a man who was in the area.
Though they preferred to remain off camera, employees at the gas station say that business has been slower than usual since the news broke about the operation.
And they’re not the only ones noticing that change.
"We open at 4:30. Lots of people usually come here in the morning to buy lunch, breakfast, and sometimes just a snack, but this morning, not that many people came," said Antonio Gomez, manager at La Raza Market. "I would say about 70 percent of our usual customers weren’t here."
Though the border patrol claims it is targeting individuals suspected of smuggling, not everyone is convinced that is the case.
"Our rights are being violated. They’re going to be targeting just one community and I think that’s where the problem is, this seems like a race thing now," said Perez.
To show their support towards those being affected, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno issued this statement on Wednesday, stating in part quote:
“The Catholic Diocese of Fresno prays for all of those affected by the Border Patrol detentions in and around Kern County.”
It continued to say, quote—
“We invite individuals in need of immigration services, regardless of their faith, to reach out to our Catholic Charities office in Bakersfield.”
"The solution to the problem is not to deport people, instead I think we need to take care of our people," said Gomez. "The labor of the Latino community is the engine that keeps California and our entire nation running."
Know Your Right Community Town Hall Meetings are continuing to be held throughout the county. There is one scheduled to take place on Thursday at 6 pm at the Bakersfield College Campus in Delano.
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