FRESNO, Calif. — Immigrant assistance organizations in California’s Central Valley report helping people released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities return to 29 states after some were released hundreds or thousands of miles from home without transportation, money or personal belongings.
The Valley Watch Network, affiliated with Faith in the Valley, has organized volunteers to provide food, temporary lodging, transportation assistance and prepaid phones to people released through ICE offices in Fresno and Bakersfield.
The releases have left some individuals struggling to return to their families and communities without reliable transportation or financial resources. For those released far from home, securing transportation and temporary shelter can present additional challenges following detention.
During an Oct. 22 briefing involving community organizations, Faith in the Valley reported assisting more than 2,000 families since November 2025. The organization also reported helping individuals return to states including Florida, Texas, Utah, New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
However, the figure of 2,000 families reflects the organization’s broader assistance activities and does not establish how many people were released far from their home states.
The underlying records supporting the reported 29-state figure have not been obtained, leaving unanswered questions about how many individuals were affected and the circumstances surrounding their releases.
The reported releases have been linked to several immigration detention facilities in Kern County, including Golden State Annex and Central Valley Annex in McFarland, California City Detention Facility in California City and Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield.
Individuals held at these facilities have reportedly been released through ICE offices in Fresno and Bakersfield.
Faith in the Valley also documented similar assistance in its 2025 annual report, including helping an individual released from California City Detention Center reunite with family members in another state.
The accounts raise questions about the support available to immigrants leaving federal detention, particularly those released far from their homes without the resources necessary to travel.
Community organizations have stepped in to provide immediate assistance, but questions remain about the extent of the support ICE provides during the release process and whether individuals can retrieve their belongings and communicate with family members before leaving detention.
ICE’s 2011 Performance-Based National Detention Standards, revised in 2016, and its 2019 National Detention Standards establish procedures governing matters such as communication with family members, handling of personal belongings and release arrangements.
Whether the reported practices violated federal requirements depends on the standards governing each facility, the applicable detention contracts, the circumstances of individual releases and whether ICE followed its established procedures.
The standards do not necessarily require ICE to transport every released individual to their home state.
Determining whether violations occurred would require additional information about the facilities involved, the standards applicable to each facility and the procedures followed during individual releases.
Federal lawmakers have also raised concerns about immigration enforcement in California’s Central Valley.
In an Oct. 9 letter, Rep. Adam Gray and Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla demanded answers from acting ICE Director David Venturella regarding increased immigration enforcement activity in Mendota and surrounding communities beginning Oct. 5.
The lawmakers requested information about the number of people detained, where they were transported or held, access to legal counsel, due process protections and safeguards against unnecessary detention and family separation.
Although the letter did not specifically address the reported release of out-of-state detainees in Fresno and Bakersfield, it reflected broader congressional scrutiny of ICE operations in the Central Valley.
Rep. Jim Costa and other California officials have also questioned ICE’s detention and release practices, including the treatment of individuals transferred from other states.
The accounts from immigrant assistance organizations illustrate the challenges that can persist after immigration detention ends, particularly when individuals are released far from their families without adequate resources.
While community organizations have helped some individuals return home, the available information does not establish how many people experienced these circumstances or whether ICE failed to follow applicable release procedures.
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