A crowd of more than 100 huddled together on Monday at De la Guerra Plaza, where La Casa de la Raza and other community advocacy groups held a “Vigil for Migrant Families” to stand in solidarity with those who have been impacted by immigration enforcement and to urge government officials to protect communities living in fear.
“In the wake of ongoing policies that separate families and force individuals further into the shadows, this vigil serves as a call to action — a moment to mourn, reflect, and commit to justice,” said Casa de la Raza Director Jacqueline Inda.
The vigil, which was held on both Cesar Chavez Day and International Transgender Day of Visibility, began with a traditional performance and blessing from Danza Izkalotl, who led the crowd through a ceremonial dance honoring the “Four Directions.” Speakers at the event included local families and youth, business owners, elected officials, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Karen Lopez, a social worker with La Casa de la Raza and a mother of three, says she is working with families that are “already living this nightmare” and that she herself is afraid of being targeted.
“Like any parent, my greatest fear is being taken away from them,” she said. “I wonder every time I hear a knock on the door if it will be the moment that changes our lives forever. I have spent my entire life in this community, and yet I am made to feel like I don’t belong.”
She says that since the Trump administration launched its most recent mass deportation initiative, she has seen families here in Santa Barbara being torn apart because of parents being detained.
“I sit with children who don’t know when they’ll see their parents again. I help mothers who have no idea how they’ll pay rent now that their husbands are gone. I see fathers struggling to hold their families together after being torn apart by a system that does not see our humanity,” she said.
She urged local leaders to step up to make sure all residents feel safe to go about their lives without fear of being reported or picked up simply because they are undocumented.
“Enough is enough. We need a real change,” she said. “Santa Barbara must take a stand. We need protections in place for families like mine, for families like yours, and families who have built their lives here, just like I have.”
Santa Barbara High School student Ofelia Jarabo-Perez said she has noticed a shift in her Latino classmates at school, who are dealing with a new level of fear about going to school and their parents facing enforcement.
“People have this fear that they’re gonna go to school or work and their mom is not going to be home,” she said. “They go to school thinking that whatever they do, they cannot change that. But that’s simply not true. By advocating, resisting, by defying dispossession and opposition, by defying everything that the current government wants to stand for is how we achieve greatness, and how we achieve freedom.”
State Assemblymember Gregg Hart and Santa Barbara City Councilmember Wendy Santamaria both spoke at the vigil, with Hart promising to continue fighting for protections at the state level and Santamaria encouraging people to “not get distracted” and remain hopeful for a better future.
“There is going to be a lot of fearmongering because that is the way that they break us down, but we need to remember we keep this economy running,” Councilmember Santamaria said. “Without our migrant community, not just the state or the city, but this country is nothing.”
“Show up even if you’re afraid,” she continued. “Even if you’re being told you’re too loud when you are speaking for justice. There is no such thing as being too loud, too obnoxious, or too passionate. Anyone that’s telling you that, you tell them you’re not being loud enough.”
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