Fear and worry have continued to grow across Kern County following reports of sightings and unannounced raids by immigration enforcement and Border Patrol over the past month. This week, community members and students in Taft, CA shared that they are living in constant fear due to the potential for detention or arrest by immigration authorities, causing uncertainty and disruptions in their daily lives.
The concerns grew stronger after early last Sunday morning when Telemundo Fresno reported that a group of farm workers was stopped by alleged federal authorities while on their way to work. The officers, reportedly wearing DEA (United States Drug Enforcement Administration) vests, pulled them over at a red light in a vehicle with sirens.
One officer claimed the men “matched the description of a criminal” they were looking for. The officers attempted to have the workers get out of their car, but they refused to exit the vehicle, according to the article. Members from Faith in the Valley (an immigrant rights organization) arrived at the scene and questioned the legitimacy of the stop…