Some speakers requested to be referred to by their first name for their safety.
Local elected officials, non-profit organizations, faith leaders and students united at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on Jan. 30 to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave the 805 area.
Nearly 200 local high school and middle school students joined the crowd holding signs that read, “Fight ignorance not immigrants” and “Abolish ICE” while chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” Wynne Bendell / Daily Nexus
President Donald Trump’s second term has seen significant escalations in immigration enforcement nationwide; 2025 marked the deadliest year in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) detention facilities in over two decades, with at least 20 individuals dying in custody nationwide. As of Jan. 21, there have been 1,430 confirmed I.C.E. detainments across the Central Coast in the past 13 months.
On Jan. 28, an I.C.E. officer was recorded pushing and pepper spraying Santa Barbara residents during an enforcement operation in Eastside Santa Barbara. Following this incident, community members and UC Santa Barbara students held protests and vigils to honor the people affected by immigration enforcement.
As community members gathered outside of the courthouse, Ethan Bertrand, the district director for California 37th District Assembly Member Gregg Hart, began by stating that the purpose of the press conference was to “stand up to the Trump administration.”
“You will hear from all of our incredible speakers about where our community stands at this moment, how we are showing up for our neighbors and how we are demanding change,” Bertrand said.
Hart then took to the podium, but before he could finish his statement, nearly 200 local high school and middle school students joined the crowd holding signs that read, “Fight ignorance not immigrants” and “Abolish ICE” while chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
Hart thanked the students for showing. “We’re talking specifically for your generation, for the future of our country, to take back our American rights and to put our country on the right track,” he said. He went on to say that the community has had “enough of the cruelty” following the recent killings in Minneapolis of American citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration enforcement officers.
“Our neighbors are not safe from state-sanctioned violence, and our civil liberties are being trampled by our own federal government,” Hart said.
Hart highlighted his work on the implementation of the No Secret Police Act, the Family Preparedness Act and the Forensic Accountability, Custodial Transparency, and Safety Act as part of his efforts to keep immigration enforcement accountable in California. Hart also demanded that Santa Barbara County Sheriff and President of Major County Sheriffs of America Bill Brown cease all collaboration and compliance with I.C.E.
Next, Santa Barbara County (SBC) Second District Supervisor Laura Capps emphasized the “decimating” nature of I.C.E. by sharing that it has violated nearly 100 court orders this month in Minnesota. Capps announced that the SBC Board of Supervisors is working to designate I.C.E.-free zones on county property.
“The tide is going to turn. We are a county of immigrants. We are a nation of immigrants. Immigrants are absolutely what’s best about America, not what’s bad,” Capps said. “Armed, terrorizing federal agents are what’s bad, and it must stop. I.C.E. must stop.”
California 37th District Assembly Member Gregg Hart said that the community has had “enough of the cruelty” following the recent killings in Minneapolis of American citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration enforcement officers. Wynne Bendell / Daily Nexus
Santa Barbara Immigrant Legal Defense Center (ILDC) Chair Victoria Greene said that the ILDC’s legal team has encountered unlawful arrests, coercive enforcement actions and “deadly” detention conditions. The ILDC is a nonprofit agency that aims to provide equal access to due process by providing pro bono legal services to immigrants in deportation proceedings and legal education.
Greene demanded action from local elected officials and law enforcement, emphasizing that immigration enforcement is detrimental to the safety of everyone, not just immigrants.
“We are demanding I.C.E. out of our neighborhoods. We are demanding an end to local law enforcement cooperation and resource sharing. We are demanding that local and state leaders draw a clear line and refuse to be part of abusive immigration enforcement,” Greene said.
After, Primitiva Hernandez, the executive director of 805 UndocuFund — a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting undocumented communities through financial assistance for immigrant and mixed-status families — commended the work of rapid response teams nationwide. Since Trump took office, the organization created a rapid response network to identify and inform community members of I.C.E. activity.
“These are the people that are showing up when it’s dangerous, when it’s uncomfortable and when it matters most,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez reminded the crowd that, in June 2025, she stood at the same courthouse with “tears in [her] eyes,” calling for collective action against I.C.E., and was ignored. A month later, I.C.E. raided Glass House Farms in Oxnard, where they arrested 361 people and where one worker died after falling from a greenhouse roof.
“This did not happen over time. It happened while warnings were being ignored, and do not ignore my words when I say the worst is yet to come,” Hernandez said.
Santa Maria Council Member and Executive Director of Future Leaders of America Gloria Soto and Santa Barbara Councilmember Wendy Santamaria also demanded that I.C.E. leave the 805 area, stressing that this escalation in enforcement is the work of fascism.
“Just two days ago, we saw the brutalization of our community members on the Eastside. It’s not a matter of when or if fascism gets here. It’s here. It’s now,” Santamaria said.
Alexis, a local student, organized the student walkout to show solidarity with the communities impacted by I.C.E.
“We are teenagers, and people often say we are too young to understand what’s happening in this world, but we do understand fear, we understand injustice and we understand what it means to watch our friends, neighbors and classmates every day be worried that their families could be torn apart,” Alexis said.
Next, local faith leaders joined at the stand where Reverend Deacon for St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Isla Vista, Kathleen Moore, said, “in our varied and united faith traditions, loving our neighbor is not an option. It is a mandate.”
President of the Santa Barbara Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance Muhammad Khan shared his reaction to one of the students’ signs that read, “We shouldn’t be here demanding our equal rights.”
“Children should be preparing for their dream, for their occupation. You saw kids carrying the backpacks for their books, now in fear they can’t pursue the dream,” Khan said. “God doesn’t want broken homes and broken lives. Anyone who believes in God knows the truth is God is love, peace, serenity.”
Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Board of Trustees President Jonathan Abboud announced that the board is working to ban I.C.E. from SBCC following activity on the West Campus in December.
“They came without authorization or notice. They came in the dark of night and unmarked rented cars, and they terrorized our students during finals week. Our board has spoken loud and clear that we do not stand for this,” Abboud said.
SBCC Board of Trustees member Charlotte Gullap-Moore argued that I.C.E. and the Department of Homeland Security under Trump “represent the modern evolution of slave patrols.”
“They operate under a different name and a different uniform and [in] a different century, yet with a similar mission, enforcing rigid social and racial hierarchy under the banner of law and order,” Gallup-Moore said. “Naming these parallels is not provocation. It is an act of historical accountability and warning about the consequences of repeating patterns we have never fully dismantled.”
The press conference ended with another local student, Evelin, who participated in the walkout despite her mom’s request for her not to protest that day to protect her safety.
“I said, ‘Mom, what future do I have when they take me away from you? What future do I have when they take away my family support? They take away my everything,’” Evelin said. “I can’t sit down in a class doing nothing. I want to fight. I want to fight against what is going on in our country. I want my community to feel safe. I don’t want them to feel fear just because of the color of their skin.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 6 of the Feb. 5, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.
