In a speech to a crowd of 1,000 at the Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration in downtown Fresno on Jan. 19, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, also the former police chief of the city, seemed to blame protesters for violence in confrontations with ICE, while urging Fresnans to cooperate with the counter-immigration force.
“Although I’m not aware of any planned immigration enforcement operations in Fresno, there is always that potential,” said Dyer.
“Please remember that federal law enforcement agents have the same authority as local law enforcement. That includes the power to make arrests and the authority to take a person’s life should they feel threatened. We may disagree with what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, but we still have to obey their command…