Santa Barbara City College Trustees Say ‘ICE Is Not Welcome Here’

When federal immigration enforcement used Santa Barbara City College’s parking lot as a staging ground before conducting an operation in the nearby Westside neighborhood on December 11, 2025, students in the library huddled in fear for about an hour before the school administration sent out an official message to the campus community. 

By that time, volunteers with 805 UndocuFund’s Rapid Response Network had already sent an emergency alert confirming the presence of ICE on campus, and hotline operators reported taking a flood of calls from students afraid to leave the library out of fear of running into masked federal agents.

While no students were arrested on campus, SBCC officials confirmed that federal enforcement with FBI and ICE arrived at the West Campus parking lot shortly before 6 p.m. without any prior notification to the school. According to SBCC Executive Director of Public Affairs Jordan Killebrew, this is the first and only time ICE has used a California college as a staging area for immigration enforcement.

In an official statement from SBCC, Killebrew provided a detailed timeline of the incident, describing how he arrived at the parking lot at 6:15 p.m. to find that federal law enforcement had already left the area, and only four “questionable” vehicles remained. Federal agents did not return to the lot until 6:58 p.m., when ICE officers told Killebrew they would be leaving the campus.

Later that week, community members and immigrant rights advocates showed up to the SBCC Board of Trustees hearing to voice their concerns about the incident and to demand that SBCC do more to protect students from immigration enforcement on campus.

The board could not officially discuss the item during that hearing, so at its January 22 meeting, the Board of Trustees agendized a report on law enforcement on campus to discuss how SBCC could tighten up its policies to make students, staff, and faculty feel safe from immigration enforcement. 

Board President Jonathan Abboud, who previously condemned the presence of ICE on campus, said school officials had met with members of community defense groups 805 UndocuFund and SBResiste to get their input prior to the meeting. 

“We want to make sure our next response is better than our last,” he said.

A large group of campus employees and community organizers spoke during public comment, urging the board to consider adopting a DREAM (Defend Rights, Establish Accountability, & Mobilize Protection for Undocumented Students at SBCC) resolution drafted with the help of those who are organizing and documenting ICE activity on the ground.

Leslie Marin-Juarez, 805 UndocuFund Rapid Response Network coordinator, asked trustees to take concrete steps to ensure students feel secure without the fear of aggressive federal enforcement. She said working with the organizations on the front lines would help lead to policies guided by real-time experience and data.

“Collaboration with these groups is essential in ensuring that students can safely remain enrolled and complete their studies,” she said.

Lab Teaching Assistant Michelle Detorie said students working in the multimodal lab were completely disrupted by the presence of ICE on campus. One of the students reported an “unidentified individual” coming into the lab and asking for directions, which they later learned was a federal agent.

Denise Cedillos, an ESL faculty member, said that the uncertainty created by immigration enforcement creates a “broader climate of fear, particularly because immigration enforcement is often experienced through racial profiling, affecting many people of color regardless of immigration status.”

Staff working with SBCC’s Raíces resource center for Latino students said the federal enforcement could threaten the spaces undocumented students had always considered safe. 

“When students don’t know what their rights are, or how the college will respond, they stop coming to class, avoid services, and disengage from their education,” Administrative Assistant Roxanne Morales said.

Many referenced the recent violence in Minneapolis and the increased rhetoric around immigration across the country. But local volunteers reminded the trustees that immigration enforcement was already creating real fear in Santa Barbara’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.

“It’s chilling, and heartbreaking, and so infuriating,” said Ellen Carey, a SBCC librarian and Rapid Response volunteer who has documented ICE arrests firsthand. “It’s completely different from watching it unfold from a distance or on a screen, and it’s happening regularly here in Santa Barbara.”

Board Vice President Kyle Richards spoke strongly against the presence of ICE on campus, calling it “vile and shameful” activity that was disruptive and went against the college’s educational mission.

“They are harming, terrorizing our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues, and our family members,” Richards said. “So let me say it clearly. No way, no how. ICE is not welcome here.”

He acknowledged the deep emotions felt by community members who spoke at the recent board hearings. “We are also outraged, terrified, appalled, heartbroken, and mad as hell about how our communities are under attack,” he said. “It’s horrific. It’s unfair. It’s unjust.”

Board President Abboud and Trustee Charlotte Gullap-Moore both spoke in support of making the campus safer for students. Gallup-Moore asked if the school could increase security at night, and Abboud said he would consider dipping into the reserves if necessary to address the needs.

“I hope you are noticing a common theme here, that we too are very concerned about everyone on campus and everyone in the community,” Gullap-Moore said. “We can’t promise anything, but your comments are not falling on deaf ears.”

The board unanimously voted to direct staff to return with a resolution on legal policies and procedures to ensure community coordination and safety for all on campus, “including those that are undocumented, in light of immigration actions on and around campus.” These could include policies preventing the use of parking lots or collaborations with local community defense groups.