Fresno is no longer on the federal government’s radar as a sanctuary city — even though it was never one in the first place.

In May, Fresno landed on the Department of Homeland Security list, inviting scrutiny and possible litigation from the Trump administration. It was never fully explained how Fresno — and several other jurisdictions — found a place on the list.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April, directing the Justice Department and DHS to publish a list of jurisdictions that “violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”

DHS released an updated list on Monday, with Fresno nowhere to be found. The state of California itself is on the list. Within the Golden State, DOJ lists the counties of San Diego and San Francisco as well as the cities of Berkeley, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Dyer said he is “pleased” Fresno is no longer on the list.

“As stated earlier this year when the Department of Homeland Security published a similar, but unverified list, the City of Fresno is not a sanctuary city. Our inclusion on the list was inaccurate and did not reflect the City’s policies, practices, or our long-standing cooperation with federal agencies,” Dyer said. “I appreciate that the published list has been further vetted by the DOJ and that the City of Fresno is not included.”

Fresno never declared itself a sanctuary city. The city’s police force has a long-standing policy of not asking about immigration status.

Could Immigrant Affairs Office Be a Problem?

Among the criteria to be on the sanctuary city list, the DOJ said, is a public declaration of being a sanctuary city, specific laws “that obstruct or limit local law enforcement cooperation with” ICE, and creating offices “to engage and advise illegal alien communities on evading federal law enforcement officers.”

Dyer established an Office of Community Affairs, listing an immigrant affairs liaison. The city’s OCA website lists its duties as providing constituent services, “development of an immigrant community-specific needs survey and implementation plan,” and immigrant integration.

Another federal government criteria is jurisdictions that “circumvent” federal law to provide federal benefits to illegal aliens, such as health care, or food and housing.

“This is not what our office does. We do not do advising work,” City Hall spokesperson Sontaya Rose, who also oversees the OCA, said. “We also do not circumvent federal laws.”

Rose said the city is reviewing DOJ’s documents.

She described the office as “bridge builders,” helping connect residents with services in the community. That includes referrals of small businesses to the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, or those in need of social services to Centro La Familia.

“Our goal is to ensure residents are informed and supported. A great example was just last week when our city partnered with the county to bring resources directly to residents at the Mobile Food Vendor Fair. We believe access, connection and partnership are at the heart of what we do,” Rose said.

Arballo Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit

Phil Arballo, a multiple-time congressional candidate from Fresno, moved on with his life, taking a position as a financial consultant with the Charles Schwab office in Los Altos in Santa Clara County.

After two months on the job in 2024, Schwab fired him, saying he failed to make certain disclosures. Arballo filed a lawsuit, saying the real reason is his past political activity.

Arballo, then a Fresno Democrat, ran and lost to Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, in 2020; and lost in the primary in 2022, which John Duarte, R-Modesto, eventually won. Arballo also considered a 2024 run but withdrew. He also ran for city council unsuccessfully in 2019.

In the civil lawsuit filed last March in Santa Clara County Superior Court — under his given name of Felipe Arballo — Arballo said his superiors asked why he did not disclose his consultant company on forms. Arballo said he did not think he needed to, “as he was no longer involved in the business and it was unrelated to finance,” the lawsuit said. He later added the information to his forms.

He was also questioned why he did not disclose his prior runs for office. The lawsuit said Arballo thought they were not relevant. Two days later, Arballo was fired.

Arballo also claims disability discrimination and defamation in the lawsuit.

Politically Motivated Firing, Arballo Alleges

Arballo claimed branch manager Rob Boyd was “opposed to the ideologies of the Democrat party” and  “would frequently speak about conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination stances that were consistent with political candidates in opposition to the Democrat party.”

Schwab denied Arballo’s claims.

“Schwab separated Plaintiff’s employment after discovering that Plaintiff had mispresented his prior work experience and failed to properly disclose his past employment history and outside business activities,” the company said in legal filings.

The case is ongoing. Schwab is also arguing that Arballo needs to arbitrate the case, per an agreement with the company.

“We want our employees to thrive in the workplace which is why we uphold a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination. We are aware of these unwarranted allegations and we will respond to them in court,” Schwab spokesperson Peter Greenley told Politics 101 after this story first published.

Arballo’s Fresno-based attorney Amanda Whitten declined comment.

Dictos Running for Assessor-Recorder Re-Election

Paul Dictos announced he will run for his fifth term as Fresno County Assessor-Recorder. He first won office in 2010.

The assessor-recorder keeps track of real estate documents, as well as maintaining several vital records — birth, marriage, and death.

“Protecting taxpayer rights and defending Proposition 13, the bedrock of our property tax system, has been the cornerstone of my work,” Dictos said in a statement.

Dictos touted his accomplishments, including doubling the county’s tax roll while maintaining the same staffing level. A new assessor-recorder building also opened during Dictos’ last term.

Dictos ran for supervisor in 2024 but did not advance beyond the primary.