ICE Activity Ramps Up on Central Coast as Election Approaches

Community defense groups across California are warning about a recent surge in aggressive ICE raids, as both Santa Barbara County and the surrounding region have seen an uptick in federal immigration sweeps not only at county jails, but also in public areas, including workplaces, near schools, and in neighborhoods with large populations of Latino residents.

According to 805 UndocuFund’s Rapid Response Network, which keeps track of immigration enforcement in the area, there have been nearly 100 arrests reported in the Tri-County Area (covering Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties) since Monday, October 5. This includes at least 63 people detained in Santa Barbara County, with the highest number of arrests coming from Santa Maria and Lompoc, where more than a dozen were taken by ICE every day from Monday through Thursday.

With the most recent surge, 805 UndocuFund now estimates that at least 2,770 individuals on the Central Coast have been arrested by federal immigration enforcement since President Trump took office for his second term in January 2025.

“This is a direct attack on our neighbors,” 805 UndocuFund representatives posted in a statement on social media. “We need everyone outside. This is an attack across the Central Coast, but we have felt it specifically in Santa Maria and Lompoc the last few days.”

Volunteers with community defense groups such as 805 UndocuFund and SBResiste have been working on the ground to document daily ICE activity, verify reports, and send alerts through the Rapid Response Network’s 24/7 hotline. Early-morning patrollers noted that the most recent ICE activity marks a return to some of the more aggressive tactics seen in 2025 and early 2026, before federal agencies moved to lower-profile enforcement focused at jails and immigration check-ins.

Last week, patrollers keeping track of ICE activity near the agency headquarters in Camarillo noticed a new group of vehicles, all with tinted windows and out-of-state licence plates (from Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Montana). These vehicles were first spotted in enforcement actions on Monday, when a convoy was seen making arrests at a carniceria in Simi Valley, and later that morning when a string of arrests were reported in the Santa Maria area — including the arrest of a parent in a parking lot on the campus of Allan Hancock College.

At least 17 were arrested in Santa Maria on Monday alone, prompting responses from local leaders who were alarmed by not only the numbers of arrests but also the nature of the enforcement actions. Unlike arrests over the summer months — which were targeted at jails and immigration offices — the recent surge appears to be more random, with ICE officers seemingly stopping anybody who appears to be undocumented.

According to a report published by the Washington Examiner, the ICE activity across the region is believed to be part of a 45-day surge known internally as “Operation Safe California.” Government sources revealed to the Examiner that ICE officers have allegedly been told to arrest all undocumented immigrants they encounter, regardless of criminal history.

Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement in response to the alleged operation, saying that “Donald Trump is using fear and panic as a weapon, putting families at risk, undermining our economy.”

Gubernatorial Candidate Xavier Becerra issued a similar response, saying the 45-day ICE sweep across California is “timed right up to the midterms, targeting people with no criminal history.”

“Donald Trump is trying to rig the November election by intimidating voters and suppressing the vote,” Becerra continued. “Vote by mail before November 3rd, and send him and his MAGA candidates a message that California won’t be intimidated by his threats and thugs.”

The Department of Homeland Security has not explicitly acknowledged the operation, though the agency released a statement saying: “For operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations. Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country, including in California.”

Community defense groups have stepped up patrols in recent weeks in attempts to document and report real-time enforcement activity. Volunteers have reported the same vehicles with out-of-state plates at multiple scenes, and while there have been no reports of violence between officers and patrollers, there have been instances of property damage and interaction with local law enforcement.

In one incident in Santa Maria, an ICE officer was seen on video running his vehicle into a parked car. At another scene, ICE vehicles reportedly ran into two separate vehicles leaving a parking lot in Simi Valley. One patroller took a video of damaged work vehicles being towed out of the ICE headquarters earlier this week; another volunteer launched a GoFundMe effort after an ICE incident left two volunteer cars totaled.

The return of more aggressive ICE enforcement in public areas has caused a resurgence of fear within the community. In Westside Santa Barbara, where a large portion of residents are Latino, the neighborhood bakery La Bella Rosa was closed for two straight mornings after videos of ICE officers on San Andres Street were spread on social media. 

Volunteers with 805 UndocuFund and SBResiste are urging vulnerable residents (those who are undocumented or live in mixed-status households) to exercise caution when in public. Patrollers are also worried about enforcement near schools, after ICE vehicles were spotted near Harding School in Santa Barbara, outside Santa Maria High School, and on the Allan Hancock Campus, which is notably a ballot drop-off location for Santa Maria voters.

Eder Gaona-Macedo, executive director of the Fund for Santa Barbara, sent a message out in response to the recent ICE activity, in which he references the timing of the raids, which arrived the same day as ballots were sent out in California.

“I am writing to you today with a heavy heart,” he wrote. “Just as mail-in ballots are set to arrive, ICE agents are raiding the city of Santa Maria. Since yesterday morning, ICE has detained dozens of people in broad daylight, breaking into cars, and a father dropping his daughter off at school.

“This is a moral outrage,” he continued. “Families, including their young children, are terrified. People are not safe.”

Representatives from 805 UndocuFund, SBResiste, and other groups encourage community members to donate or volunteer if they want to get involved. They are also urging anybody who feels like they might be profiled to carry their passports or documentation with them.  For information about volunteer training, or info on how to properly identify ICE activity, visit the 805 Rapid Response Network’s Instagram page or call the 24/7 hotline (805) 870-8855.

“We ask everyone who has any time available to go out and patrol your community,” said Primitiva Hernandez, 805 UndocuFund executive director. “If you see something, alert the community. It is within your legal right to document, to follow at a safe distance, and to alert your community as to what’s happening. Documenting is super important, because this is evident that can later be used in lawsuits to bring justice to our community.”

Community members will be holding an emergency “ICE OUT” protest in Lompoc on Friday at 5 p.m. at the intersection of H Street and Central Avenue. Those who want to help with securing the polls can get involved with grassroots group 805 EPIC (Election Protection Integrity Coalition), which is seeking volunteers to help with its voter protection and rapid response groups at the polls.

Donate to the Fund for Santa Barbara’s Immigrant Relief Fund here. Donate to 805 UndocuFund’s Emergency Relief Fund here.