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The Carpinteria Immigrant Rights Coalition, or “CIRC,” a non-profit bilingual organization founded in the spring of 2025, today published results of a survey of local business, offices, and agricultural workplaces in the Carpineria Valley, located in Santa Barbara County CA, and sent copies of its report to the CIty of Carpinteria. The City was the principal funder of the business survey. The Fund for Santa Barbara (visit fundforsantabarbara.org) provided additional funding support.
The survey was designed to assess the impact of ICE activity on the economy of the Carpinteria Valley, which is highly dependent on tourist dollars, agriculture, and immigrant labor.
During the month of March, local businesses were surveyed about the impact of ICE raids on worker recruitment, absenteeism, sales, and morale. Business owners, office managers, and employee representatives were also asked if they feel sufficiently informed about how to interact with ICE officers, should any appear in their establishments. The survey also asked what services and information would be helpful.
A substantial majority of respondents (78%) reported that their businesses, workers, or customers have been negatively affected by ICE activity or fear of ICE, with 40% indicating significant impacts and 38% reporting moderate effects.
Over half of respondents said they’d lost customers or revenue. Additionally, 47% of businesses reported increased stress and morale issues among employees, while 36% indicated that workers were afraid to come to work. Operational disruptions (24%) and challenges with hiring or retaining staff (22%) further illustrate the strain placed on businesses. A smaller but notable share (9%) reported employees reducing their work hours or leaving altogether.
40% of those surveyed reported experiencing some level of financial impact, including 29% estimating losses under $50,000 and smaller percentages reporting losses exceeding $50,000 or even $250,000. Additionally, 7% of businesses estimated substantial revenue declines of 30–50%, indicating that the economic effects of immigration enforcement have been severe for some.
The results mirrored those found elsewhere by researchers. The Los Angeles Times, in an article published Jan. 1, 2026, reported that weekly data analyzed by experts at University of California, Merced, show the impact of federal raids on the California economy was “stark.” (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-01/immigration-raids-california-job-losses-analysis)
Tax receipts are down nearly 30% in many California towns reliant on immigrant labor, according to the nonpartisan, non-profit news organization, CalMatters. (https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/11/immigration-california-farms/)
Project Supervisor Isa Alarcón, a former Jr. Carpinterian of the Year awardee and recent college graduate, recruited and trained several part-time paid interns to conduct the survey. All were bilingual young adults who were either raised in Carpinteria or had close family ties to the town. CIRC’s report about the survey, and the organization’s recommendations for actions that could be taken by the City to address the needs of local employers and employees, is available on request.
The mission of CIRC is to support, protect, and advocate for the rights, dignity, and well-being of immigrants in Carpinteria and surrounding communities through education, mutual aid, resources and collaboration with individuals, non-profit entities and government agencies.
