The past two days for Santa Barbara real estate agent Beth Goodman did not go how she had planned. 

When she woke up on Wednesday, she had planned to voluntarily canvas nearby houses with immigration resources. Instead, she spent most of the day not being able to open her eyes after getting pepper-sprayed at close range by a federal agent that morning. 

On Wednesday, immigrant activist group 805UndocuFund sent out an alert for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the area of Hutash and South Voluntario streets shortly after 6:50 a.m.

Dozens of community members crowded the streets to record and protest the agents in the area, according to video footage shared on social media and with Noozhawk.

The ICE agents also reportedly detained a man that morning. ICE representatives did not respond to Noozhawk’s request for comment.

“I want it to be clear that I am not in the practice of interfering with law enforcement — legit law enforcement actively trying to apprehend a criminal,” Goodman said. “That is not what is happening here.”

The video footage shows a masked federal agent wearing a vest with “police” written on it pepper-spraying Goodman in the face after yelling, “Back away.” 

“I just thought, ‘Oh s***, that hurts,’” Goodman said.

Even after being sprayed, video footage shows Goodman wiping her eyes and continuing to stand there recording the agent.

“I thought, I can shake this off, but that was obviously not true, and that’s why I just stood there and continued to film,” she said.

Goodman said she was trying to use her body as a barrier between the agents and her Hispanic neighbors.

“The reason I stepped in front is because I figured I should be the target and not someone else who might get taken away, and if I got taken away, the outcome might be better for me than for someone else,” she said. “Maybe it was stupid.”

She said she also wanted to make it clear to people that what happened to her shouldn’t be the focus of attention. 

“This is not about Beth Goodman,” she said. “I am an accidental representative, but I’d like to go back to my real job and have this country rise up and take back our freedom and liberty.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Goodman had driven to Franklin Elementary School and alerted people out of her car window after getting an alert of ICE activity. She then made her way to Carpinteria and Salinas streets. 

“I was not clear about everything that had happened, but I could see that a white SUV seemed to be pinned in on three sides by ICE vehicles,” she said. 

Goodman also said the agent who sprayed her was blocking traffic on Salinas Street.

“Everyone could have moved forward, ultimately, if he would have just pulled his car forward,” she said. 

In videos posted to social media, the federal agent is seen pulling Goodman’s arm before pepper-spraying her. 

“He did not need to continue engaging the community if he wasn’t there to capture someone,” she said. 

Goodman said she is also grateful to the other bystanders who helped her after she was sprayed.

“I leaned over the sink of someone’s kitchen for probably an hour because I thought I was going to throw up,” she said.

Goodman also said local medics approached her to take her vitals, which were fine she said, but her eyes were the issue. 

After showering to wash her eyes out, she said she spent the day on her couch.

“It definitely rocked me, and I don’t want to have it ever happen again or to anybody,” she said. 

She remembers people reaching out to her afterward and being in disbelief that she was the one in the video, and they questioned what Goodman was doing out there in the first place.

“Do you know what’s happening here in the community?” she asked them. “There’s a level of disconnect with so many that maybe intentionally or authentically don’t want it and they can go about their daily lives,” she said. 

After taking the past couple of days to process what happened and recover, she said she will always be aware about how much fear and love there is in her neighborhood. 

The Santa Barbara Police Department was called out to the scene after getting reports of a “large fight,” and found community members and ICE agents in the area, according to Sgt. Bryan Kerr.

Kerr added that 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.

Goodman said she hasn’t filed an incident report with the Police Department. Instead, she said what matters to her most is to see those in positions of power do something.