Santa Barbara County residents are asking for protection against federal immigration agents.

Local law enforcement officials say their hands are tied. 

On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors held a lengthy hearing to address recent federal raids, including one at a Carpinteria cannabis facility, where agents arrested 10 people and deployed flash-bang and smoke grenades at a crowd of protesters.

More than 300 people were arrested at the Camarillo facility of the same business, Glass House Farms. Federal authorities say they also found minors at the facility and are investigating the company for labor violations.

Members of county public safety departments shared how their agencies handle immigration issues and respond to federal enforcement operations in the community.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said that while deputies don’t work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on their operations, county law enforcement officers also can’t intervene in federal operations. 

Brown said that if they get a report of someone getting snatched off the streets and they aren’t aware of federal activity, they will respond and investigate to confirm whether another law enforcement agency was involved. 

“The Sheriff’s Office is not going to intervene in a federal operation that is underway. That is their responsibility,” Brown said. 

First District Supervisor Roy Lee, an immigrant, asked whether deputies would respond if someone called to say they felt they were being targeted by ICE agents.

“If I’m walking down the street and ICE agents come up to me, ask me about my residency, etc., and I call you, will your deputies show up to protect me?” Lee asked the sheriff.

Brown said it would depend on the situation. 

“If it truly is a federal officer that is stopping someone, they are within their right to do that,” Brown said. “If there is a belief that it might be someone impersonating a federal officer, we might investigate and make a determination that they are indeed credentialed.”

Brown said the Sheriff’s Office generally gets notified when federal agencies are conducting operations in Santa Barbara County. For the workplace raid in Carpinteria, they were notified minutes before it happened. 

However, he said, there have been one or two instances when the Sheriff’s Office hasn’t received notification ahead of time.  

The Sheriff’s Office also can’t investigate actions made by federal agents; any complaints about conduct should be directed to the Office of Professional Responsibility. 

“I want us to maintain our credibility with the immigrant community that we do not work with ICE and immigration enforcement in the field,” Brown said. “We do not consult with them. We do not give them information. We adhere to the law meticulously.”

The only time the Sheriff’s Office works with ICE is to notify them of the release of an undocumented person from jail who has a criminal record and is also wanted by ICE, Brown said.

Because of the flash-bang and smoke grenades used on protesters in Carpinteria, Second District Supervisor Laura Capps asked Brown at what point deputies would arrive at a protest to help keep the peace.

Brown said they would respond if there was a “disastrous outcome” and they were called for help. He added that in the case of the Carpinteria raid, federal agents didn’t need help from the Sheriff’s Office, as they had a group of at least 50 people and military vehicles.  

“I think that the people needed your help,” Capps said. 

Brown reiterated that Sheriff’s Office staff would not interfere with federal operations, and he called on members of the public to keep protests peaceful.  

Public Defender Tracy Macuga said that in the days since the raid, the office has worked with the 805 Immigrant Coalition and volunteer attorneys to try to locate and provide help to local residents who were arrested. Many of them were deported before anyone could speak to them, she said.

“What happened was not enforcement; it was an eradication of trust, of safety, of rights,” Macuga said. “Your response today, our response, will shape whether this county is remembered as a place that protected its people or one that has turned its back on them.”

Macuga said they don’t know where individuals are being held or what conditions they’re  facing. 

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch said he believed immigration enforcement was being militarized, causing fear and outrage. 

“I’m a public safety officer, and I see us sitting on a powder keg,” Savrnoch said. 

He made it clear he supported and upheld the law, especially as it pertains to complying with signed warrants. However, he took issue with the target and tactics in the Carpinteria raid.

“It is difficult to argue that this level of force is needed because of the hostility surrounding it, when it is the level of force itself that led to the hostility,” Savrnoch said. “It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

While speaking to the board, Savrnoch gave an impassioned plea to the public to keep protests peaceful.

“There is an atmosphere that is almost encouraging confrontation, and I’m telling you don’t do the confrontation,” Savrnoch said. “Don’t throw the rocks. I don’t want anybody hurt, I don’t want any of you hurt, I don’t want any of you arrested. I don’t want any federal law enforcement officer to fear for his or her life either.”

He said many of the victims with whom his office works are immigrants, and his attorneys and staff don’t ask for or keep records of citizenship or residency status.  

During Tuesday’s meeting, the board approved $105,000 in funding for the Immigrant Legal Defense Center for immigrant youth legal and support services and $240,000 for mental health services. 

The county supervisors also voted to formally request information from the federal government regarding immigration raids and operations in the county and to find out who has been detained and deported from the county.

Also on Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council held a town hall meeting to address the recent raid and considered funding for 805UndocuFund. 

The City of Goleta plans to hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at 130 Cremona Drive to discuss next steps following the recent immigration enforcement activity.