Immigration agents quietly drove into Mammoth Lakes this morning. Their goal – very similar to that in Bishop last month. Even so, the Mammoth Hispanic community panicked.

According to Mammoth Police, the agents told them they had very specific targets, Individuals who were subject to criminal warrants. Police said the INS agents were looking for about a dozen people. Mammoth Police said that the agents reported that they picked up three convicted felons.

Police told us that the word spread that Immigration Agents were in town and many Hispanic residents went into hiding. Officers said that Mammoth Elementary school reported 140 absences. Many job sites were without employees.

Officers stressed that this was not a general immigration sweep for illegals but a very targeted visit in search of 12 individuals.

In Bishop, immigration had executed an almost identical visit. In spite of rumors that there was also a general immigration sweep in Bishop, police strongly maintain that agents only picked up about a dozen people.