A masked federal agent wearing a vest labeled “police” pepper sprayed a person in the face at close range Wednesday morning on Santa Barbara’s Eastside.
The person appeared to be filming the man at the time with a phone, according to videos captured of the incident.
Immigrant activist group 805UndocuFund sent out an alert for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the area of Hutash and South Voluntario streets just after 6:50 a.m.
Dozens of community members took to the streets to record and protest ICE activity in the area, according to multiple videos shared with Noozhawk and posted to social media.
Motorists honked at the agents while others on the street blew whistles — a strategy used to alert neighbors of ICE presence.
Many people were recording the agents with their phones, and others were yelling at ICE agents to leave.
“Leave our neighborhood now,” someone can be heard saying in the video. “Does this look like it’s helping?”
Several videos shared with Noozhawk show at least four federal agents on the Eastside wearing vests labeled “police,” as well as hats, sunglasses and masks.
In one video, a federal agent wearing a mask and hat yells, “Back away,” before pepper-spraying one person at close range in the face. He then continues to yell, “Back up.”
Another video shared on social media showed a different angle of the pepper spray incident. A woman is seen with her phone out, filming, as are other people nearby. A federal agent grabs her by the arm and pulls her to the side. Shortly after that, he sprays her in the face with pepper spray.
Bystanders offer to help her, and advise her not to touch her eyes.
In a separate video, another federal agent can be seen brandishing a baton and walking up to a red car.
Santa Barbara Police Sgt. Bryan Kerr confirmed that city police officers responded to Salinas and Carpinteria streets at about 7:17 a.m. for a report of a “large fight” and found community members and ICE agents in the area.
Kerr said one person had been “exposed to pepper spray” and another was allegedly pushed by an agent before police arrived at the scene. The person who was pepper sprayed was medically treated by local responders, he said.
“The Santa Barbara Police Department had no prior knowledge that the ICE agents would be at that location or anywhere in the city of Santa Barbara today,” Kerr said in a news release. “Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, and the ICE agents left the scene.”
Kerr said the department’s role on Wednesday was “ limited to medical aid coordination, information gathering, and traffic management.”
Videos shared with Noozhawk showed uniformed Santa Barbara officers clearing the street so an ambulance could drive up to the area, and officers attempting to keep some distance between community members and ICE agents.
Alex and Candice, witnesses to the Wednesday morning ICE activity on the Eastside, took several videos and shared them with Noozhawk. They requested only their first names be used, citing concerns about “being in an ICE database.”
Alex told Noozhawk he first witnessed what he believed to be ICE officers in the neighborhood at about 7 a.m. He began driving around the area to see what was going on.
Just shortly after, he says he saw a man appearing to run away from the agents near Salinas and Carpinteria streets.
A video taken by Candice and shared with Noozhawk shows a masked federal agent telling her, “Lady, back up,” before he appears to push her away.
“I did not touch you, and you assaulted me,” she says in the video.
The officer then pulls out a pepper spray canister, shakes it, and says, “Last warning, let me leave, back up.”
Candice, the person taking the video, says she is on the sidewalk, and he is free to leave. The video cuts off as the federal agent moves back toward his car.
Candice told Noozhawk she spoke with Santa Barbara officers on scene about filing a complaint against the ICE agent who shoved her, and showed them the video of her being pushed. She said they took her information and she airdropped them the video.
Alex and Candice said they witnessed Santa Barbara officers clearing the street to keep traffic moving.
“They said they are not on any ‘side,’ but are here to keep traffic moving and don’t want anyone to get hurt in the street, so they are ordering us to stay on the sidewalk,” Candice told Noozhawk in a text message.
Kerr said officers took statements from community members at the scene “regarding the events that occurred prior to police arrival” and documented the incident in a report.
Local law enforcement leaders said last year that their agencies generally get notified when federal agencies are conducting operations in Santa Barbara County.
Kerr said the Santa Barbara Police Department did not know there would be ICE operations in the city on Wednesday.
In the case of the large federal raid at a Carpinteria Valley cannabis farm in July, the Sheriff’s Office was notified minutes before it happened, Sheriff Bill Brown has said.
Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon has said that the city does not cooperate with ICE agents and local officers do not ask questions about citizenship when dealing with the community and responding to 9-1-1 calls.
Congressman Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, released a statement after the incident Wednesday.
“My team and I are aware of the ICE incident in Santa Barbara today, and we’re coordinating with local officials to gather the facts. Please remain vigilant and stay safe. Now more than ever, it’s important to know your rights when interacting with ICE officers,” he said. He shared a Know Your Rights resources guide.