The Data

Data compiled by UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project shows that in 2025, within the general Fresno area, 566 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests were made between Jan. 1 to July 29, a nearly 71% increase from the entire year of 2024, where 331 arrests occurred. 

Of the arrests made this year, 270 people have already been deported, with Mexico receiving the highest number at roughly 200 deported individuals.

This number is expected to grow, considering U.S. President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed on July 4. The bill allocated a $170.7 billion fund to fund construction of the southern border wall and to increase deportations, including plans to hire 10,000 new agents to reach “AT LEAST one million” annual deportations, according to whitehouse.gov. This amounts to around 2,700 deportations daily, a goal nearly four times the current number of daily deportations.

About 57% of the arrests made in Fresno are convicted criminals, according to the Deportation Data Project. The remaining cases included 107 people with pending criminal charges, and 139 with immigration violations and no criminal record.

Across the U.S., over 71% of people held in ICE detention centers have no criminal conviction, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC.) Around 42,755 people without convictions are currently detained, a statistic that contradicts Trump’s claim of “going after the worst of the worst.”

For individuals with criminal convictions, the Deportation Data Project shows that these charges can include having a DUI or arrest for possessing marijuana.  

ICE Impact on Fresno Residents

Many people face deportations on account of arrests made decades prior. Fresno City College student and psychology major Ryan Moua explained that this was the case for his uncle. 

Moua said that his uncle faced jail time for a criminal charge when he was young. According to Moua, his uncle signed away his immigrant refugee status of citizenship in order to cut his sentencing from 26 years to only 16. At the time, Moua’s uncle didn’t face deportation, because Laos’ borders were closed. 

Earlier this year, Laos opened its borders to accept deportations following pressure from Trump, including a partial travel ban. 

“He was deported in the dead of the night,” Moua said. “His family didn’t even know until the day after he was caught.”

Moua’s uncle, like many other Hmong deportees, have no family or support system in the country that they’re deported to. 

“He served 16 years in prison and then came out and lived 30 years, had a family, had a wife, had kids. He lived 30 years without ever making a scratch on his record,” Moua said. 

Moua said he anticipated ICE deportations affecting Hmong people and Asian Americans as a whole when raids began. 

“When it happens to one of us, it completely cuts the trust that we have in society,” Moua said. “When you don’t find a way to stop hurting somebody like the Latinx people or the people who were getting deported, you are going to be next.”

Fresno State student and LEAD California community member Rosas, who wished to only be identified by her last name, said there was fear that spread through her community after ICE raids began picking up. 

“Everyone around me was afraid, and it wasn’t even just people who were undocumented,” Rosas said. “It was just people who fit the stereotype that ICE was putting out.” 

Rosas said her mother’s workplace had to be shut down due to increased ICE raid activity. Outside of her own job, Rosas accompanied her mother whenever leaving the house to ensure her safety.

“We couldn’t just hang out with friends and extended family. We had to be inside and hope that someone doesn’t knock on our door, or we get a phone call about something [that] happened to someone,” Rosas said. 

Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) Fresno field manager Tammy Vang also said her community is afraid of being stopped by ICE agents despite not having any criminal record. 

Vang said many deportees who have criminal records turned to crime after facing poverty and a lack of resources in their youth.

“It’s that our government [is] not giving us proper resources. That’s why a lot of members decided to transition to this route,” Vang said. “How much is our government providing resources to our neighborhoods to make sure we get [people with criminal convictions] to deter from these types of crimes?” 

FCC International Student Services Coordinator Jesus Delgadillo said that for international students, concerns about traveling between countries arose following the spike in deportations. 

“It’s just always that fear of the unknown, of what might happen,” Delgadillo said.

In August, the Trump administration proposed a rule to limit the stay of specific visa holders without additional screening, which includes foreign exchange students. Delgadillo said many international students aren’t aware of what screenings they may undergo, including a screen through student social media.

Support Resources Available

Despite fears, Rosas said she found support and solidarity in the LEAD community at Fresno State. 

“[LEAD] helps advocate for undocumented immigrants, so I felt maybe I can find some people who are like me, and I did,” Rosas said. “There are plenty of people who are like me, and it’s really refreshing to see that I’m not alone.”

Rosas encouraged others who are in her position to reach out to their local communities.

“I think that it’s important [to reach out], even if it’s risky, because you’re letting everyone know, showing everyone that you deserve to be seen as much as anybody else,” Rosas said. 

Delgadillo said recent immigration laws have made the country less welcoming, especially to foreign students. He urged students to extend support for these individuals. 

“It’s always good to be that first friend, that first person that the [international] student can talk to,” Delgadillo said. 

HIP provided a hotline, (559) 206-0151, for the Central Valley Rapid Response Network to report ICE agent sightings. In the case that someone is detained, the number can be called to reach out to local legal resources.  

According to an employee training seminar hosted at FCC on Oct. 20, if an ICE agent is confirmed to be on campus, they should be escorted to the FCC president’s office for a warrant assessment in the Old Administration Building (OAB)-259. In addition, the person who spotted the ICE agent is expected to call the State Center Community College District emergency police number 559-244-5911. ICE agents are not permitted in non-public areas such as classrooms. 

For resources, FCC’s Dream Center located in OAB-137 provides free and confidential immigration services to students. On top of immigration services, the Dream Center also offers support in filling out the Dream Act application, psychological services and connections to local non-profit organizations.

The rise in recent deportations have become a scare tactic, according to Delgadillo. Rosas said being seen and connecting with others combats intimidation people face from ICE.

“[Deportation statistics] are just numbers to scare, because they’re scared. They’re scared of us realizing that we have the power to change elections, to shape the community, and they don’t want us to notice it,” Rosas said. “They work for the people. We have the power, and all they can do is just scare.”

“My mom has always said, ‘don’t ever expect that you’ll be the exception, because we’re not.’ People of color will never be the exception,” Moua said.