Fresno City councilmember shares unverified claims of possible ICE raid

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Attendees at Thursday morning's city council session were caught off guard when Councilmember Miguel Arias dropped an explosive allegation.

"We have learned this weekend ICE is planning to engage in a massive immigration raid at the Cherry Auction in Fresno," said Council member Miguel Arias.

He then advised the immigrant community to stay away from the popular Fresno County flea market this weekend.

"It would put themselves and their families in the most vulnerable position to be picked up and taken out of the country without due process, as has been clearly documented in our state," said Council member Arias.

RELATED: ICE raids and protests continues as claims of local raids are still unverified

Those comments quickly circulated on social media, which prompted Cherry Avenue Auction to address its 3,200 followers on Instagram, saying in part, it had no knowledge of any planned ICE raid at its facility nor was it notified by law enforcement.

It went on to say Cherry Avenue Auction has been "dealing with rumors for a long time".

Action News reached out to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office for comment. It encouraged the public not to spread messages about pending immigration operations because it can create panic and fear-mongering.

Action News Reporter Christina Lopez tracked down Councilmember Arias outside City Hall as he was driving away Thursday.

"Miguel, you do realize that because you're not releasing vital information," began Lopez.

"I'm not a reporter," Arias replied.

"People might be saying this could be hearsay, right?" Lopez asked.

"I'm not a reporter, and I'm not a federal agency. They have the obligation to tell people and confirm. My responsibility is to inform people so that they can protect themselves," Arias said.

"And you feel the need to protect this person who sent you this information, correct?" asked Lopez.

"I'm not going to get into that," said Arias.

A spokesperson for ICE sent the following statement in regards to Councilmember Arias' claim:

To ensure the safety of our personnel, ICE does not confirm or discuss the existence or status of operations. The agency publicly announces the results of operations when appropriate. As part of its routine operations, ICE arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation's immigration laws. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.

The City of Fresno released a statement in regard to Councilmember Arias' claims, which said, "The City of Fresno has not been made aware of any immigration enforcement action taking place this weekend at the Cherry Auction."

This weekend, there are two "No Kings" protests planned within the City of Fresno.

Fresno police say they plan to patrol both protests with security for a peaceful and safe demonstration.

For news updates, follow Christina Lopez on Facebook, X and Instagram.