Kerman mayor Maria Pacheco accused of following Fresno man she took for ICE
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Fresno hairdresser Eric Bridges filed a complaint accusing Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco of following him as an ICE agent.
The case lands weeks before her Fresno County supervisor race.
Background
Maria Pacheco is the mayor of Kerman, a mostly Latino city of about 17,000 west of Fresno, and is running against Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi for the District 1 seat on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. She drew wide attention after recording and posting a confrontation with apparent ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents detaining people outside a Kerman bakery in October 2026. The complaint by Fresno hairdresser Eric Bridges, who says he has never worked for ICE or the Department of Homeland Security, centers on an encounter days later.
How it unfolded
- Oct 17, 2025Pacheco called at a Fresno press conference for federal immigration authorities to release two Central Valley mothers and restart their immigration cases.
- Oct 8, 2026Pacheco recorded a confrontation with apparent ICE agents detaining four people outside a Kerman bakery; video of the incident was widely shared.
- Oct 14, 2026Pacheco allegedly followed Bridges as he drove toward Kearney Park and then to his sister's home in west Fresno, where she allegedly told him, "I'm looking for ICE and you look like ICE."
- Oct 15, 2026Pacheco posted on Facebook that she had spotted ICE on Shaw and Dickenson: "White SUV. No plates. Driver is masked and hooded."
- Oct 19, 2026The Business Journal reported the allegations; Pacheco told The Fresno Bee that Bridges' complaint is "ridiculous."
- Oct 21, 2026The Fresno Bee reported Bridges filed a complaint with the Fresno Police Department and the Fresno County District Attorney's Office and submitted video of the incident.
- Oct 22, 2026The Los Angeles Times reported Bridges submitted a signed statement to the DA's office saying he wanted "to press charges to the fullest extent of the law."
- Nov 3, 2026Pacheco faces Karbassi for the District 1 seat on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in the midterm election.
Who’s saying what
- Complainant
- Bridges wrote in his complaint that he has never worked for ICE or DHS and was "absolutely astounded by the accusation that I resembled an immigration officer."
- Accuser's lawyer
- Attorney Roger Bonakdar said Pacheco used Bridges "as a political trampoline" for social media clickbait and raised concerns she was acting as "some sort of vigilante law enforcement person."
- Official
- Pacheco called the complaint "ridiculous" and said, "If he wants to go to court, then we'll go to court."
- Public
- After her Kerman video spread, TikTok commentators praised her bravery and actor George Lopez posted, "We need more politicians like Maria Pacheco!"
Still unverified
Bridges' complaint and signed statement allege Pacheco followed him and said "I'm looking for ICE and you look like ICE"; Pacheco disputes the complaint as "ridiculous."