Student leaders and speakers will gather at Bakersfield College Wednesday, May 23 at 2:30 p.m. to issue a public statement about a BC student detained by ICE agents.

According to James Michael Tompkins, president of the Bakersfield College Student Government Association, BC student Jose Bello was arrested Tuesday. 

A release said the event is a rally to show support for Bello. It will be on the Bakersfield College campus in front of the Administration Building. 

ICE gave a statement to 23ABC saying:

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on May 22, 2018, apprehended Jose and Oscar Bello-Reyes during a targeted enforcement operation in Bakersfield, Calif.  ICE confirmed both brothers are members of a local street gang. In addition to being in the county illegally, both brothers have criminal convictions for violent offenses harming others. ICE previously encountered both men, and they were granted voluntarily departure to Mexico. At some point after returning to Mexico, they illegally re-entered the U.S. Both individuals are in ICE custody at the Mesa Verde Detention Facility, and their immigration proceedings are ongoing."

Congressman Valadao's office told 23ABC they have put in a formal information request to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and are monitoring the situation closely.