Rob Fuentes, a candidate for the Fresno City Council, has resigned from his position as a federal prosecutor after being placed on administrative leave. Fuentes had been working on cases involving illegal immigrants captured by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which he had criticized publicly.

Background

Fuentes had been hired under the Biden administration in the summer of 2023 and was initially assigned primarily to civil rights and white collar fraud cases. However, since President Donald Trump returned to office, a small portion of his caseload has involved habeas cases related to ICE.

Fuentes had previously stated that he supported abolishing ICE, describing the federal immigration agency as “unhinged” and “unlawful.” He had also said that he did not believe he was being disingenuous with voters in his district by not disclosing his work on ICE cases, as they were not his primary responsibility.

Reaction

The news of Fuentes’ resignation has sparked backlash on social media, with some groups calling for him to quit the race for the City Council. Fuentes has shared that he has “never worked on a deportation case” or ever “worked to separate families” on his campaign social media platforms.

Original reporting: Fresnoland — read the source article.