Santa Barbara County leaders determined that unincorporated county land cannot be used for privately owned immigration detention centers.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors heard a report on whether detention centers or facilities could be built or staged in the county, and whether the county could ban them.
According to county staff, an ordinance already prevents privately owned companies from building detention centers, but that prohibition does not apply to the federal government.
However, staff said there are no reports of plans to build any centers in Santa Barbra County.
The Board of Supervisors asked county staff to prepare the report in response to rising arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and concerns that the agency would use county land to build new detention centers.
A new detention center has been proposed near Gilroy in Santa Clara County. The land is being leased to the federal government by a private developer.
Santa Clara County and California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined together in a lawsuit to challenge the project. California currently has eight privately owned active detention centers.
Staff determined that the county ordinance does not include a listed use suitable for a detention center or other facilities.
They added that even though there is no path for a company to apply for a building permit, the Board of Supervisors also could issue a moratorium if a facility is proposed.
During public comment, Larry Behrendt from Indivisible Santa Barbara expressed disappointment with the staff report and asked for a more complete analysis.
He also asked what the county could do to change its ordinance to prevent the construction of new federal immigration facilities.
“This is an urgent matter, and the staff report lacks any sense of urgency,” Behrendt said. “I urge you to send it back with a demand for something more responsive, something more immediate, something more urgent. We need action now before ICE construction crews arrive here.”
The supervisors voted 5-0 to accept the report and asked county staff to alert the supervisors if plans for a facility were proposed.
