Following sightings of several Border Patrol vehicles and agents throughout the county, US Customs and Border Protection issued a statement about their operation.
A spokesperson for CBP said in a statement: “The U.S. Border Patrol conducts targeted enforcement arrests of individuals involved in smuggling throughout our areas of operation as part of our efforts to dismantle transnational criminal organizations.”
Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David Kim stated that they are looking for specific individuals for this operation and are not targeting local farms or fieldworkers, but this did little to alleviate local concerns.
“This will be a massive constitutional offense in the way of racial profiling, illegal search and seizure,” said Win Eaton, a certified immigration specialist and attorney.
Eaton expressed concern that many people who are not the intended targets will become caught up in this operation.
“I believe that many US citizens will be deported through this process without their documents; US citizens are not required to have their documents with them. “If you are foreign-born, you must carry your documentation,” he explained.
In response to CBP’s presence, local advocates and attorneys are sharing information on immigration rights and services in the hopes of assisting residents such as Gisselle Garcia, a Lamont native whose father was previously deported.
“It had a significant impact on our family,” Garcia explained. “I don’t think people understand that it doesn’t just impact the person who leaves but the people who stay.”
