On his way to work on January 23, Gerardo Pacheco Oliveros — a construction worker and father with no criminal record — was followed and detained by ICE agents in San Bernardino. He had been driving with his brother, who was released shortly after the traffic stop, while Pacheco Oliveros was taken into custody; his daughter, Arleth Pacheco, said the family did not learn his whereabouts until several days later.

Advocates say his case reflects broader shifts in federal immigration enforcement. Researchers report that detentions of Latino immigrants without criminal convictions have increased sharply, rising to nearly six times the monthly average compared with the final year of the Biden administration.

UCLA Research Professor and Director of the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge Paul Ong shared with KVCR News that the increasing arrests, detainments, and deportations of non criminals “reflects a shift in ICE’s strategy, which is targeting a population that’s supposedly a low priority and one that polling shows most Americans believe should have a pathway to legal status.”