David Valadao Defended ICE’s Killing Of Renee Good, Saying “That Lady Should Have Stopped When They're Asking Her To Stop,” After ICE Raids Hampered The Central Valley’s Workforce And In Kern County Appeared To Be Used As ICE’s “Blueprint”

Valadao On ICE Killing Renee Good: “That Lady Should Have Stopped When They're Asking Her To Stop.”

Valadao On ICE Killing A Woman In Minneapolis: “That Lady Should Have Stopped When They're Asking Her To Stop.” VALADAO: “I mean, I've always been someone that says if someone if a person that is paying on taxpayer dollars is doing something wrong, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. The video I watched, the guy, in my opinion, looks like he was trying to defend himself. And I mean, that lady should have stopped when they're asking her to stop. I wish I'd seen more video of what led up to that situation. Sadly, that woman passed away and she probably was so shocked that even her own brother in law says she was somewhere where she shouldn't have been. But we've got to dial down the rhetoric. I mean, the administration focuses on making sure we deport criminals that shouldn't be here. The people that are out there protesting stay at a distance and do your protesting and make yourself happy. Put yourself in a vehicle. And when law enforcement asks you to stop, obey orders. It's just so many bad things happen. And I can't imagine what that law enforcement officer because I don't believe any law enforcement officer enjoys taking another person's life. Imagine that is a heavy lift for that person. I imagine a family missing their relative, a mother of three children. I mean, that's just not what we should be doing and just a terrible situation for everyone involved.” [Trevor Carey Show, 20:18, 1/8/26] (AUDIO)

Valadao Avoided Commenting On Alex Pretti’s Death At The Hands Of ICE Agents

Valadao Did Not Respond To Request For Comment Or Discuss The Situation With ICE In Minnesota At A Capitol News Conference. “Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, which writes budget legislation. After the funding package vote, he appeared at a Capitol news conference and did not discuss the Minnesota situation. His office did not reply Tuesday to a request for comment.” [Sacramento Bee, 1/27/26]

Valadao Did Not Respond To Request For Comment Regarding His Constituents Urging Him To Oppose The Administration’s Actions On ICE. “Constituents in U.S. Rep. David Valadao’s district are urging the Republican to oppose ICE tactics, particularly in Minnesota where agents have killed two U.S. citizens during protests this month. ‘This has to stop. We’re losing our Constitution; we’re losing our rights,’ said Cathleen Jorgensen, chair of the Democratic Central committee in Kings County. Valadao was among the California republicans who voted yes on the homeland security budget that passed the House last week to fund Department of Homeland Security agencies through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Valadao did not respond to a request for comment for this report.” [Fresno Bee, 1/28/26]

Studies Showed California’s Workforce Suffered As A Result Of ICE Raids

KSEE Headline: “UC Merced Study Shows ICE Raids Directly Tied To Workforce Decline” [KSEE, 7/16/25]

KSEE: “UC Merced’s Community And Labor Center Looked At Private Employment Rates Between May 11 And June 8, And They Said The Numbers Don’t Lie – Immigration Raids Are Negatively Impacting The State’s Economy.” “Researchers at UC Merced are sharing what they call ‘sobering’ statistics on the economic impact of President Donald Trump’s ICE raids in California. UC Merced’s Community and Labor Center looked at private employment rates between May 11 and June 8, and they said the numbers don’t lie – immigration raids are negatively impacting the state’s economy. ‘There was a decline of 3.1% in the number of people that reported working in the private sector in California,’ Lead Researcher at UC Merced Edward Flores said. Flores said the study ties falling work rates in California to recent ICE raids. ‘The 3.1% is roughly 465,000 people. Roughly 364,000 fewer Latinos working than the private sector between May and June,’ Flores said. 465,000 is roughly 2.4% of California’s labor force.” [KSEE, 7/16/25]

CNBC: “Trump’s Immigration Policy Threatens Key Sectors Of California’s Economy, Long Reliant On Immigrant Workers” [CNBC, 9/1/25]

CNBC: “As The Trump Administration Continues To Ramp Up Immigration Enforcement, Industries Key To The State’s $4 Trillion Economy Like Agriculture, Construction And Hospitality Could Be Among Those Hardest Hit By The Loss Of California’s Immigrant Workforce, According To New Research.” “From citrus farms in the Central Valley to construction sites where homes and businesses are being rebuilt after devastating wildfires in Pacific Palisades, California relies heavily on immigrant workers and entrepreneurs. As the Trump administration continues to ramp up immigration enforcement, industries key to the state’s $4 trillion economy like agriculture, construction and hospitality could be among those hardest hit by the loss of California’s immigrant workforce, according to new research. At stake are billions of dollars that fuel businesses large and small across the state, whose standalone economy is the fourth largest in the world after the United States, China and Germany. Approximately one-fifth of the state’s 10.6 million immigrants are undocumented, according to a June study from the nonpartisan Bay Area Economic Institute and the University of California, Merced. If mass deportations were to be combined with the end of temporary protected status for thousands of immigrants and stricter border policies, the joint study estimated that California would be at risk of losing as much as $278 billion from its gross domestic product.” [CNBC, 9/1/25]

CalMatters Headline: “Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In California’s Central Valley” [CalMatters, 3/31/25]

January 2025: Border Patrol Conducted Raids In Kern County, In Which Case They Often Did Not Identify Themselves Or Present Warrants, That Were Reported To “Be Seen As A Blueprint For The Broader Immigration Crackdown That Was To Come”

New York Times Headline: “Before Urban Raids, Border Patrol Tested Tactics In California Farm Country” [New York Times, 1/19/26]

New York Times: “Before The Border Patrol Embarked On Its High-Profile Raids In Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans And Minneapolis, It Tried Out Its Tactics A Year Ago In Kern County, In California’s Agricultural Heartland.” “Before the Border Patrol embarked on its high-profile raids in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis, it tried out its tactics a year ago in Kern County, in California’s agricultural heartland. A lawsuit filed against the federal government over its operations in Bakersfield and other parts of Kern County claimed that in some instances, Border Patrol agents had not identified themselves or presented warrants. In others, people were grabbed with force, and their requests to call a lawyer were denied. And in one case, the lawsuit said, agents stopped a U.S. citizen driving a truck, slashed the tires, blocked the truck with another vehicle, arrested the driver and then released him a few hours later.” [New York Times, 1/19/26]

• A Lawsuit Filed Against The Federal Government Over Its Operations In Kern County Claimed That In Some Instances, Border Patrol Agents Had Not Identified Themselves Or Presented Warrants. “Before the Border Patrol embarked on its high-profile raids in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis, it tried out its tactics a year ago in Kern County, in California’s agricultural heartland. A lawsuit filed against the federal government over its operations in Bakersfield and other parts of Kern County claimed that in some instances, Border Patrol agents had not identified themselves or presented warrants. In others, people were grabbed with force, and their requests to call a lawyer were denied. And in one case, the lawsuit said, agents stopped a U.S. citizen driving a truck, slashed the tires, blocked the truck with another vehicle, arrested the driver and then released him a few hours later.” [New York Times, 1/19/26]
• New York Times: “The Border Patrol’s Actions In Kern County, Which It Called Operation Return To Sender, Can Be Seen As A Blueprint For The Broader Immigration Crackdown That Was To Come.” “The raids last January, in the last days of the Biden administration, initially drew little attention outside the farm country of California’s Central Valley. At the time, the eyes of the world were focused on the two vast wildfires raging in Los Angeles County. But the Border Patrol’s actions in Kern County, which it called Operation Return to Sender, can be seen as a blueprint for the broader immigration crackdown that was to come. Similar tactics have become part of the agency’s standard playbook in other places, including Minnesota, where federal immigration agents are making hundreds of arrests amid sustained protests from local leaders and residents.” [New York Times, 1/19/26]