State law enforcement officers with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation served search and arrest warrants Tuesday morning in Merced, prompting rumors to circulate over social media about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke confirmed to The FOCUS that the activity was state law enforcement personnel following up on issues occurring in state prisons – not federal immigration enforcement actions.
Rumors circulated on social media platforms in a video and multiple posts with photos that showed groups of law enforcement personnel outside Merced residences. The photos and video were posted on Facebook around 10 a.m.
The posts showed a number of unmarked vehicles and law enforcement officers in tactical gear and claimed the photos and videos were from two or three locations in Merced, with captions reading “SHARE THESE OUT…RAID #2.”
Commenters speculated the activity looked like raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
People across the country have been on high alert over immigration raids following ICE operations in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago and other major U.S. cities. Since an ICE agent fatally shot Minneapolis resident Renee Good last week, protesters in the Valley and nationwide have taken to the streets in Good’s honor and against ICE activity.
The raids are of particular concern for San Joaquin Valley cities, including Merced, which has a high immigrant population. About 25% of Merced County’s population was born outside the U.S., according to 2024 estimates by the American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau Data shows.
Faith in the Valley, a faith-based advocacy group, posted on social media Tuesday afternoon that its network of legal observers confirmed there was no ICE activity in Merced. The advocacy group operates the Valley Watch Network, an immigration enforcement reporting hotline.
The organization called the law enforcement activity a “gang and narcotics operation” conducted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, with help from local law enforcement.
So far, CDCR has not responded to The FOCUS’ inquiries about the law enforcement activity. It is unclear how many arrest and search warrants were issued.
Merced Police Department Patrol Sgt. Jeff Horn told The FOCUS in a phone call that it was a state operation and the department had zero involvement.
This is a developing story.