Santa Barbara prides itself on being welcoming, compassionate and grounded in shared responsibility.

We show up for each other during wildfires and storms. We donate, volunteer, check on neighbors, and look out for the people around us.

So when fear spreads through our community — fear of separation, fear of being targeted, fear of simply going to work or picking up a child from day care — we should not respond with helplessness.

That is why I was deeply troubled by Mayor Randy Rowse’s Jan. 31 commentary, “What Santa Barbara Can — and Cannot — Do About ICE.”

Rowse’s argument, in essence, is that Santa Barbara cannot control the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that our Police Department cannot interfere with ICE operations.

That may be legally accurate, but it’s not a complete response — and it falls short of what this moment demands from local leadership.

Santa Barbara may not be able to stop ICE activity. But we absolutely can decide how we respond.

We can prepare. We can protect. We can document. We can hold the line on public safety and civil rights.

And we can make it clear that Santa Barbara will not accept intimidation or harmful tactics in our streets.

The question is not what Santa Barbara cannot do. The question is what Santa Barbara will choose to do.

Community stability is not just about public safety. It is also about belonging and permanence.

As a member of the Planning Commission, I see how both housing instability and ICE activity can weaken the fabric of our city.

When families are uprooted, whether because rent has become unaffordable or because loved ones are suddenly detained, neighborhoods lose cohesion, economic insecurity increases, and community trust erodes.

Housing stability and immigrant protection are critical issues in our community, and both are essential to whether people can build lives, businesses and futures here.

Across the country we are seeing reports of aggressive ICE tactics that raise serious concerns about legality, safety and civil rights. Santa Barbara cannot assume “that won’t happen here” because for many of our community members, it already is.

I am grateful to the many elected officials and community leaders who are standing up against ICE and working tirelessly to protect our neighbors. That leadership was visible on Jan. 30, when state, county and city officials joined with students, and community leaders to condemn ICE and demand that constitutional rights be upheld for everyone in our community.

As community members, we must continue to make our voices heard and support the leaders who are working to protect the rights of all residents during this evolving and challenging time.

Cities can and are taking action to adopt proactive policies to safeguard residents, protect civil liberties and guard against unlawful tactics by ICE.

In Vista, the City Council adopted a resolution restricting the use of city resources for immigration enforcement, strengthening “Know Your Rights” outreach, and tightening rules around access to certain city-controlled spaces.

In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s “ICE On Notice” directive created a procedural playbook for Chicago police — documenting encounters, preserving body-worn camera footage, identifying federal personnel on scene, and producing formal reports that can be reviewed and referred for investigation when conduct threatens public safety or civil rights.

In Chula Vista, the City Council adopted a resolution directing the city to implement clear protocols limiting cooperation and information sharing with ICE, restricting ICE access to certain city facilities without proper legal authorization, and expanding community education on legal rights.

Santa Barbara can and should take similar actions.

Rowse’s commentary focused on limits. And there clearly are limits on what cities can do to combat the unlawful actions of President Donald Trump’s administration.

But a city’s duty is not only to describe what it cannot do. It is to act on what it can do. When ICE activity is occurring in our city and violating constitutional rights, then our city must be ready, not only with legal clarity, but with moral clarity.

Because safety and constitutional rights are not just for some of us. We must ensure they are for all of us.