Image of an incident in which ICE agents took two men into custody outside of a laundromat in Old Town Goleta on the morning of Thursday, June 19. |Credit: 805 Immigrant Coalition

Images of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arriving in Santa Barbara County neighborhoods in unmarked SUVs spread widely on social media over the past few days, with videos and photos showing the federal agents — wearing bulletproof vests, caps, and masks covering their faces — patrolling public areas in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Santa Maria and taking several individuals into custody without appearing to present any arrest warrants.

In one video, taken outside Thrifty Wash Laundromat in Old Town Goleta just after 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning, three vehicles swarm the parking lot in a matter of seconds, with agents jumping out of the vehicles and apprehending two men who appear to be collecting recyclables in the vicinity. The two men are placed into the back of separate vehicles and taken away in less than two minutes.

Another video from later that same morning shows five agents — four of them dressed in black vests labeled “Police” and one wearing a camo “FBI” vest — speaking to a man who is on a bench at a park near David Love Place in Goleta. The person recording the video can be heard trying to talk to the man, who also appeared to be collecting bottles and cans to take to a nearby recycling facility.

The agent wearing an FBI vest tells the person recording, “You need to stay back,” while several agents take the man away while they search his belongings. 

Screenshots from a video showing federal agents arresting a man who appeared to be collecting recyclables at a park near David Love Place in Goleta. | Credit: 805 Immigrant Coalition


The person recording the video can be heard telling the man he doesn’t have to answer the agent’s questions, and when the agents walk away with the man in handcuffs, the bystander asks the agents to identify themselves. “Officer, what’s your name?” the person recording the video asks, with no response. “Why are you guys doing this? Is he breaking the law? Why aren’t you guys answering?”

The 805 Immigrant Coalition, which works with 805UndocuFund to verify and report immigration activity on the Central Coast through the 24/7 Rapid Response Hotline, confirmed both these incidents on June 19, along with several more reports of ICE agents stopping vehicles near the Goleta Recycling Center and at 7-Eleven on Hollister Avenue, where at least two gardeners were arrested while biking on their way to work that same morning.

“On this federal Juneteenth holiday, everyday folks — our neighbors — were going to work to provide for their families and have been taken by ICE right here in Goleta,” Goleta Councilmember Luz Reyes-Martín shared on a social media later that day. “Please stay safe, vigilant, and report ICE activity to (805) 870-8855.”

In addition to the reports of immigration enforcement in Goleta — which included a black Jeep Grand Cherokee, silver Ford Explorer, and dark-gray Nissan Rogue — there were multiple more confirmed incidents involving ICE agents in Santa Barbara’s Eastside neighborhood, with video of unmarked SUVs making stops between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m on Wednesday, June 18.



The 805 Immigrant Coalition’s Instagram account — which posts realtime updates of immigration enforcement — confirmed four total arrests that morning, with videos showing the same ICE vehicles spotted at three separate locations: Mason and North Voluntario streets around 6:30 a.m.; on Canada Street near Franklin Park around 7:30 a.m.; and near Carpinteria and Soledad streets around 7:45 a.m.

There were also confirmed reports of ICE operations in Santa Maria, Ventura, Oxnard, and Fillmore over the past few days. In Ventura, ICE agents were seen on video detaining individuals in the lobby of the Ventura County Jail and at the parking lot of the courthouse. In Oxnard, another video shows ICE agents chasing a man on foot outside of the Esplanade Shopping Center.

In Santa Maria, at least two farmworkers were pulled over while on their way to work in the strawberry fields. In these cases, ICE agents took the men and left the community to pick up the pieces, forcing volunteer advocates to locate the families to pick up the cars left by the side of the road.

One woman, whose husband was picked up by ICE while on his way to the store for his family, shared her traumatic experience in an interview with Tu Tiempo Digital in Santa Maria. She wept as she recalled the day he was taken away, which she said was a normal day turned nightmare when three ICE vehicles stopped her husband on Harding Street in Santa Maria. 

He had no criminal history, she said, and the family has lived in Santa Barbara County for more than 20 years, with her husband being the sole provider for her and her two children. She said the ICE agents told her husband that if he didn’t answer their questions, they could arrest him, and when he said he didn’t want to answer, they took him away in front of their two children.

The confirmed reports of immigration enforcement on the Central Coast have had an effect on neighborhoods with high populations of Latino, undocumented, or mixed-status families, where community members have been more cautious about running errands and traveling to and from their homes. It has also led to a rash of false reports and rumors, which have added to the load for volunteers with the Rapid Response Hotline. One false report included a pre-planned police SWAT training at the Santa Maria Mall, which many community members mistook for an ICE staging area.

While ICE activity has slowed down on Friday, immigration advocates are recommending that undocumented community members stay cautious, as ICE is expected to continue operations in the region. On Monday, June 23, there will be a “community defense training” held at the Downtown Club in Santa Barbara (631 East Canon Perdido), where volunteers with VC Defensa will be sharing tips on how to support those impacted by immigration enforcement.

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