Speakers who have chosen to remain anonymous out of safety are referred to as spokespersons, attendees or speakers in this article.
Roughly 140 students, community members and staff gathered at Storke Lawn on Jan. 28 in solidarity with people affected by federal immigration enforcement. Earlier that same day, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a raid in Eastside Santa Barbara, reportedly detaining one person and allegedly pushing and pepper-spraying individuals during an enforcement operation.
The vigil began at around 4:30 p.m. as organizers distributed candles. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
As of mid-January, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) has detained at least 1,430 people across the Central Coast in the last 13 months. I.C.E. activity has escalated nationwide, with 2025 marking the deadliest year within I.C.E. detention facilities in at least two decades, according to the Guardian.
On Wednesday morning, I.C.E. agents allegedly pushed one individual and pepper-sprayed another, according to a press release from the Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD). The SBPD took statements from eyewitnesses, provided traffic control and arranged for medical assistance.
According to the Santa Barbara Independent, witnesses said community members helped the woman who was pepper-sprayed and called for medical assistance first. Several rapid response volunteers who are trained to monitor and document enforcement operations were present during the encounter.
A community volunteer with SBResiste, a local organization that monitors I.C.E activity, said she was “disappointed” by the lack of support from local authorities during the incident, a sentiment echoed by another rapid response volunteer at the UC Santa Barbara vigil.
The vigil began at around 4:30 p.m., with attendees carrying Latin American flags and signs which stated “Say their names,” and “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,” which translates to “The people united will never be divided,” among others.
An attendee holding a sign that reads “No one deserves to live in fear, La Raza Unida” alongside a photo of Keith Porter Jr. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
El Congreso, a student-led activist organization, was the primary organizer of the vigil, with other organizations delivering speeches throughout the event. Organizers distributed candles before Chicana and Chicano studies professor Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval and a member of El Congreso delivered opening remarks.
“I know many of us are carrying heavy emotions, anger, pain, sadness, hopelessness and fear, but what I see in front of me right now is a community united in the pursuit of justice and peace in the times we are living in,” a spokesperson for El Congreso said.
Following a moment of silence, Armbruster-Sandoval expressed his worry over the killings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Keith Porter Jr. and others by government entities. Armbruster-Sandoval highlighted the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis roughly five years prior. He also expressed solidarity with the student organizers before asking attendees to repeat the word “presente” or “present” after the names of people who died in an I.C.E. detention center or were killed during an operation were announced.
“Renee Good and all the other people we’re going to mention right now, every single one has gotten into my bloodstream, and immediately I feel like, ‘Gosh darn it, let’s get together with people,’” Armbruster-Sandoval said. “We need to hold space to be with one another in these moments where we’re traumatized.”
Organizers encouraged attendees to call out the names of people or communities they know who have been impacted by immigration enforcement. The callouts included “our queer and trans siblings who have passed on the way here,” “our undocumented mothers and fathers” and “farm workers,” among others.
Attendees then began a silent march to El Centro, a campus building that provides space for multiple Latine and multicultural student groups. The El Congreso spokesperson explained that the silent march was to “emphasize the mourning and the grief that we are struggling [with] within our community, especially with what happened this morning in Santa Barbara.”
The silent march to El Centro, which passed by the UCSB Library. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
Upon arriving at El Centro, attendees gathered around an ofrenda, a traditional altar which honors the deceased. Organizers at the front held signs and photos of individuals killed or detained by I.C.E. Speakers from several organizations proceeded to deliver speeches expressing solidarity with attendees.
One speaker shared their experience in a detention center. They described one of the center’s rules, which states that you can only wear one layer of clothing. They said they witnessed agents confiscate two of the three blankets a mother had placed on her child.
“It was the coldest night of my life. [To] their faces, I said this was not about basic protocol, but to make sure we knew that they had the power to do whatever they wanted,” the speaker said. “Despite experiencing all of this, I say to those fortunate enough that do not relate to any of this, educate yourself and the community around you.”
A spokesperson for UCSB Students for Justice in Palestine and others for Academics for Justice in Palestine discussed their “joint struggles.”
“We must demand from our administration, some of whom, I think are still here, to end contracts with any companies that contribute to the actions of I.C.E.,” the spokesperson for Academics for Justice in Palestine said. “More broadly, we must divest. Let’s be loud and clear, divestment now.”
A rapid responder with SBResiste proceeded to recap the morning’s events, saying local law enforcement has allegedly “been protecting” I.C.E. during enforcement operations.
Next, board members of Comunidad Latinx Graduación (CLG), a student-led graduation celebration based on Latine culture, expressed solidarity with the Latine and immigrant communities.
“We express our deepest condolences to everyone who has been affected,” a CLG board member said. “We share their frustration with the campus administration’s failure to recognize the injustices happening within our community and demand they listen to us.”
The vigil ended at El Centro, where organizers encouraged attendees to speak. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
The event then opened up to attendee participation, encouraging people to share their experiences and feelings with the audience.
“The Declaration of Independence is a very beautiful document. It starts with [the statement] that every human person deserves the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” an attendee said. “Today, we see that they first took away the pursuit of happiness, then they took away liberty. At this moment, as we know, they took away the right of life. But let me tell you, they can take many rights away from us, but they can never [and] will never take away the right to have hope.”
Another attendee read a poem about their experiences moving to the U.S. and missing their father’s funeral in Mexico because of their legal status.
“A kid couldn’t be with his dad because of your grown-up politics. But this kid will not rest until he makes a change, and this kid will grow up learning how to transform his rage,” the speaker read.
Another attendee became emotional when discussing the recent arrest of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos in Minneapolis.
“I have a four-year-old niece, and she’s scared of bees, and she comes running up to me, and I can’t imagine how scared that child and every other single child in the detention centers are,” the attendee said.
Other attendees discussed direct actions that people can take to inform themselves on rapid response networks and how to continue the conversation after the vigil.
At the end, organizers thanked attendees for coming and invited them to eat pastries from Cristino’s Bakery and coffee from Dart Coffee Co. One organizer mentioned that both businesses gave El Congreso the food for free upon learning what it was for.
On Friday, local elected officials will hold a press conference at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse to call upon the Trump administration to de-escalate immigration enforcement.
“Give yourself permission to take it in and then use it tomorrow, because today’s been a long day, but tomorrow we get to wake up,” an attendee said. “The sun comes out every day, we can meet it with love, with joy and remembering and knowing that there’s strength in every action that we take to stay around and move through this time.”
