Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, didn’t mince words Monday when talking about the ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps.

He said the agency’s aggressive and, in some cases, illegal actions are instilling fear in Valley communities, keeping children out of school and harming the region’s farm-based economy.

Rep. Salud Carbajal, a Democrat serving California’s coast in the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo areas, joined Costa in demanding that acting ICE Director David Venturella answer their questions about ICE sweeps across the state.

Both have signed a letter sent to Venturella seeking answers by Friday to their questions about increased ICE activity.

‘Never Seen This Level of Fear’

“I have never seen the level of fear in our communities, fear of going to work, fear of going to school, fear of going shopping,” Costa said during a virtual news conference.

Some processing plants have experienced a 25% to 30% spike in absent employees, and homebuilders have reported difficulties finding workers, Valley immigration advocates say.

Carbajal shared a disturbing story of what happened to one of his constituents.

“Just last week in Santa Maria in my district, ICE agents violently detained a U.S. citizen student with special needs disabilities while he was walking to school,” Carbajal said. “The student sustained significant injuries. Severe enough that they needed to call the ambulance when he arrived to school, and he needed surgery on some of those injuries.

“I cannot stress enough how my constituents and I are outraged by this incident. No one should be treated with such brutality.”

Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez described the ICE sweeps in similar language as Costa, calling the operation “one of the most traumatic and disturbing moments for our community.”

‘Concerned About Unlawful Detentions’

And, Nora Zaragoza-Yáñez, program manager of Valley Watch Network at Faith in the Valley, reminded residents of their constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment.

“We recognize that federal authorities have the responsibility to enforce federal immigration law,” Zaragoza-Yáñez said. “The legality of an enforcement action cannot be determined simply by an officer’s assertion of authority, a person’s appearance, or an assumption about where someone comes from.

“We’re concerned about due process and unlawful detentions. So when immigration agents stop, question, arrest, or detain someone, there must be a lawful basis for their actions. … A person shouldn’t be treated as guilty of an immigration violation simply because an agent suspects that that person may be undocumented. People need meaningful access to information about their detention, the opportunity to contact legal counsel, and a fair opportunity to understand and pursue the legal processes that are available to them.”

Carbajal alleged that the Trump administration has stepped up ICE activity in hopes of scaring people from voting in the Nov. 3 elections.

“It’s not coincidental. This is happening right around the election. … They are detaining gobs and gobs of American citizens,” he said.