Across Southern and Central California — America’s breadbasket and melting pot — a dangerous and deeply cruel chapter is unfolding.
At the direction of Donald Trump, federal immigration agents are escalating workplace raids in jurisdictions like ours — targeting the most vulnerable. Targeting workers. Hard workers. Essential workers. This is not about law enforcement. This is retribution.
Here in California, our history is inseparable from Latino migration and Indigenous heritage. Even after California became a state in 1850, the border remained porous for generations. People came and went. Workers crossed with the seasons. Families were proudly bi-national — and still are. We have been connected by culture, labor, love, and land. Movement between communities was natural. That fluidity was a fact of life — not a problem — until it became politically convenient to criminalize it.
Unlike the previous administration, which halted workplace raids, this new federal strategy is designed to instill fear and suppress dissent. The cruelty is not incidental — it is intentional. It is the point.
People are scared. Terrified. And they’re looking to their elected leaders to act.
Authoritarian regimes have long used selective enforcement to punish those who resist. Research into political violence and control shows a chilling pattern: Those who defy power most openly are made examples of, to deter others. The message is unmistakable: speak out, adopt policies contrary to Trump’s cruel intentions — and we will come for you.
This is why the Trump Administration is provoking a crisis in the heart of Los Angeles.
That fear spreads — through immigrant communities, through workplaces, through families and schools. It dares people not to speak. It encourages silence, hoping we’ll keep our heads down to avoid being next.
And the escalation continues. This week, ICE agents carried out a series of field raids across the Central Coast. Secondhand reports suggest ICE is targeting cities and counties it views as defiant. Retaliation is no longer a threat — it is here.
And on Thursday, in a chilling demonstration of this federal posture, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla — one of the highest-ranking Latino officials in the country — was forcibly handcuffed and removed from a press conference in his own city, simply for trying to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question. Let that sink in. An elected senator, silenced with force. The federal government is not just targeting immigrant communities — it is physically removing elected officials who dare to question its actions in public.
What happens if this administration illegally declares martial law on a major U.S. city and continues an unwanted occupation?
I don’t have all the answers. And frankly, I’m saddened to admit that even writing these words feels risky in drawing attention.
We may not have a policy lever to stop ICE. But we have tools of solidarity. And those of us with the privilege to do so — like Senator Padilla — must speak out.
This afternoon, a U.S. District Judge presiding over an emergency hearing on Trump’s commandeering of the California National Guard pushed back forcefully against the federal overreach. He said:
“We’re talking about the president exercising his authority, and of course, the president is limited in his authority. That’s the difference between the president and King George. We live in response to a monarchy.”
That sentiment — that we are governed by consent — is what makes this country great, if not always easy. It is why the rule of law matters. It is why the Constitution matters.
We must prepare people to know their rights. We must ensure every workplace understands that ICE must present a judicial warrant — not just any form or memo — to enter private areas or detain employees. We must train employers and community leaders to stand firm in these uncharted moments.
And we must peacefully protest and speak up, even as this federal administration abuses its authority and tries to provoke violence in response. That’s the playbook: escalate and wait for a spark.
I’ll be protesting at the No Kings Rally in Solvang this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. I encourage everyone who has the privilege to safely join in peaceful protest and to remind ourselves of the most fundamental truth of this country:
The president is not a king.
Joan Hartmann is the supervisor for Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District.
