Controversy erupts after ICE arrest of Greenfield man taking child to school

By Brooke Kinebrew

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    GREENFIELD, California (KSBW) — Monterey County Board of Supervisors Chair Chris Lopez says that a man has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Solidarity Network said that a man from Greenfield was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at his home Thursday morning.

He was detained as he was exiting his home to take his child to school, said the Solidarity Network. He was identified as just a man in his 30s.

Lopez said he confirmed the arrest with local police.

Greenfield’s Police Chief Guillermo Mixer said the man was detained somewhere near 1200 Los Padres Court.

His name and criminal history are currently unknown. The man is currently being held at an ICE detention center in California.

Mixer said, “ICE was discreet and compassionate about how they went about it, they’re gonna target the worst of the worst.”

Mixer says in his talks with ICE agents that they’re gonna target someone you don’t want in your city. He added that he doesn’t believe this is part of a larger enforcement action, just targeting the one member of the community.

Lopez said that the community of Greenfield is back into retreat mode. A community maternal mental health walk was scheduled for Friday night and has now been canceled.

This is the first confirmed ICE arrest in Monterey County under President Trump’s recent crackdown on immigration.

Solidarity Network is a volunteer-led group that monitors ICE activity, offers legal observers and assists in locating legal representation for people facing ICE enforcement in the county.

In a statement the Solidarity Network said:

“The Solidarity Network – Rapid Response Monterey County would like to clarify that the ICE arrest that took place on May 22, 2025, is not the first that’s taken place in Monterey County this year. At least four other people, that we know of, have been detained in targeted operations.

“A family man was taken from the street as he was taking his son to school on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Subsequently, local law enforcement praised the efforts of immigration and customs enforcement as ‘discreet’ and ‘compassionate.’ The Solidarity Network Monterey County Response flatly rejects this characterization. How is ripping a man from his family, outside of his home, terrorizing his children, considered “compassionate”?

“Claiming that ICE is only targeting ‘the worst of the worst’ is highly misleading and irresponsible, especially when local law enforcement officials don’t know the name or any of the details of the people targeted in these highly secretive operations.

“Historically, immigrants have been scapegoated for many societal ills, and the current administration is trying that same old tactic. We urge the community to remember that immigrants have built this country, and that they are the backbone of the local agricultural and hospitality industries. Describing them as the ‘worst of the worst’ without even knowing who they are is irresponsible and deplorable.”

ICE has not responded to KSBW 8 inquiries at this time this was published.

No additional information is available at this time.

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