A group of Central Coast and state leaders began the new year in front of a federal facility in Santa Maria, denouncing the recent sweep by immigration enforcement officers.
Santa Maria Councilwoman Gloria Soto, leaders from local activist groups and more than a dozen community members gathered on Friday to share their concerns regarding a recent spike in activity in Santa Barbara County by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Soto’s call to action comes days after ICE reportedly arrested about 147 people in Santa Barbara County from last Saturday through Tuesday, according to data from 805UndocuFund’s Rapid Response Network.
About 87 of those arrests, Soto said, happened in the city of Santa Maria.
“This makes Santa Maria the epicenter of what we’re seeing over this holiday break,” she said while standing in front of the Santa Maria Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
Previously, 805UndocuFund reported 307 detainments in Santa Barbara County as of November.
It also noted that Santa Maria is the most targeted city in the county.
The surge of reported ICE detainments after Christmas constitutes almost half of the arrests 805UndocuFund reported as of November.
Soto added that she has faced ambiguity from federal agencies, getting limited or insufficient information from ICE regarding the agency’s scope, tactics and impact.
“As a council member of the city of Santa Maria, I know I do not control federal immigration enforcement, but I do have a responsibility to demand transparency, uplift verified information and ensure our city does not contribute to fear or harm,” she said.
To combat the lack of information, Soto said she is committed to continuing requesting information from the Department of Homeland Security about its operations. However, she acknowledged that those measures don’t necessarily mean the agency will send information.
She said that if needed, the next step would involve sending official requests on behalf of the city of Santa Maria and working with congressional leaders.
Soto shared that she has requested to the Santa Maria City Council the creation of an ad hoc immigration committee so that the city can track ICE activity and identify public safety measures.
“That request has been postponed until February,” she said.
There has not been a date set in February for when that request will come back to council, she added.
“I want to be honest about timing because what families are experiencing right now cannot wait for silence or delay,” she said.
Similarly, Maria Salguero, senior attorney at the Immigrant Legal Defense Center, said the Santa Maria ICE office has barred her from entering the center to talk to her clients.
“This is a constitutional violation to my clients’ right to counsel,” she said. “This should be concerning to all of us.”
She also challenged the Santa Maria City Council to “do more.”
“I want to encourage the council to look at other cities — the city of Whittier, the city of Oceanside, the city of Oakland — who have taken measures to protect their community members,” she said.
During the Friday gathering, two officers stood in front of the detention center, watching the speakers and occasionally taking photos of the group from afar.
Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of immigrant activist nonprofit 805UndocuFund, observed them standing there and called it an intimidation tactic, one she has noticed them doing in neighborhoods as well.
805UndocuFund leaders also shared what their volunteers and themselves see firsthand.
Cesar Vasquez, rapid response organizer, said he has witnessed the Santa Maria Police Department allegedly aiding federal agents.
However, police Lt. Felix Diaz said local authorities jump into federal operations only if they are asked to for officer safety.
“In terms of going out, actively looking for people with them or planning operations with them, that’s not something we are doing,” he said.
Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón also took to the microphone to condemn the recent arrests and assure community members that there are new laws for 2026 designed to mitigate immigration enforcement tactics.
She referred to Senate Bills 805 and 627. SB 805 specifically requires off-duty or plainclothes officers in the state to prominently display identification when performing their duties. SB 627 prohibits local and federal law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while on duty.
“Whether you’re elected at the state level, at the federal level or at the local level or a community member, we can’t let these instances and what is happening be something we normalize,” Limón said.
On Sunday, Indivisible Santa Maria is hosting a protest against ICE from noon to 2 p.m. at two locations in Santa Maria. One will be at the intersection of South Broadway and West McCoy Lane, and the other at South Depot and West Century streets in front of the ICE building.