The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is responding today to Valley Public Radio’s reporting about the agency’s presence and practices at a facility in downtown Fresno. In that report, we described an unmarked, under-the-radar Fresno facility that processes and detains individuals coming into ICE custody . We also reported that ICE had not responded to multiple opportunities to comment on the story before it was published. In response, an ICE representative has now confirmed the office on L Street is run by a division of ICE known as Enforcement and Removal Operations. He also argued that it’s not a detention center, though he confirmed the facility does have a secure space for interviewing and holding individuals for up to 12 hours. He says eight other facilities serve this same role within a coverage area that extends from Bakersfield through Northern California and includes some Pacific Islands. The full statement, issued by ICE spokesperson James Schwab, is as follows
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