Politics

ICE Raids Intensify Amid Tight California 22nd District Race

By Brian Osgood

In Bakersfield, a memorial with orange marigolds and prayer candles has been set up to honor labour organiser and civil‑rights leader Dolores Huerta, who helped found the United Farm Workers union and championed better wages for migrant and Latino farm workers. The memorial, located in a local car park, also displays Huerta’s slogan “si, se puede.”

Since early October, federal immigration agents have conducted raids across the Central Valley under a 45‑day operation called “Operation Save California,” part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. The raids have become a flashpoint in the race for California’s 22nd congressional district, a seat Democrats hope will help them gain a House majority in the November 3 midterm elections.

Republican incumbent David Valadao has won six of his last seven elections in the district, while progressive challenger Randy Villegas is campaigning on issues such as the rising cost of living, healthcare cuts and the impact of the raids. Villegas told Al Jazeera that local businesses are struggling because of the raids and that residents fear leaving their homes. He added that the raids affect people who simply want to work or attend school.

The Department of Homeland Security has said the raids target people who are illegally in the U.S., not based on race or ethnicity. DHS described allegations of racial profiling as “disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE.”

Farmworkers, labour organisations and local officials dispute that characterization. Teresa Romero, president of the UFW, said on October 10 that the raids target hardworking, long‑term community members who are not criminals. She described incidents of cars being smashed and workers being dragged from vehicles.

A woman from Fresno County, who spoke anonymously to Al Jazeera, said her husband was detained by immigration agents while returning from work in early October. She noted that her four U.S. citizen children became anxious after the incident.

Arvin mayor Olivia Calderon said that in small communities word spreads quickly when people are detained. She recalled pastors asking if ICE takes a day off on Sunday because people avoid church.

Villegas links the raids to Valadao’s support for a bill that would make ICE the most well‑funded law‑enforcement agency in the country. Valadao, in a debate in early October, echoed the government’s claim that many targeted individuals have criminal backgrounds.

The race has attracted national attention. Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, and House Speaker Mike Johnson have visited the district to rally support for their respective candidates. The UFW has mobilised members to knock on doors for Villegas.

Polls show a tight race between Valadao and Villegas, even after a 2025 redistricting measure that drew new maps favouring Democrats. Valadao’s background as the son of Portuguese dairy‑farmers has helped him build ties with ranchers, growers and conservative voters.

While California overall leans Democratic, rural areas often favour Republicans. In 2024, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump in California by nearly 20 points, but Trump carried Kern County, where Bakersfield is located, by a similar margin.

Villegas and his supporters hope that concerns over the rising cost of living, partly driven by the Trump administration’s war on Iran that has pushed energy prices higher, will help him unseat the incumbent. Priscilla Ortega, a 23‑year‑old warehouse worker in Lamont, said she is “annoyed and very angry” about rising prices and the impact of immigration raids. She added that the war on Iran was “really unnecessary” and that higher fuel costs have made her commute more expensive, diverting money that could go to food or bills.