ICE detains 17 in Central Coast swarm targeting workplaces, college campus

Federal immigration agents reportedly detained more than a dozen people on Monday, in an operation that targeted a community college campus, workplaces and neighborhoods.

At least 17 people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Santa Maria and Guadalupe on Monday, according to data collected by 805 UndocuFund, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting undocumented immigrants and their families.

The ICE activity started as early as 6:30 a.m. and continued through the afternoon, 805 UndocuFund media organizer Claudia Gonzalez said.

All those detained were men — most of whom were traveling to or from work, she said.

The operation also hit Allan Hancock College, where a man was reportedly detained while dropping his daughter off in the parking lot. The incident may be the first case of ICE targeting a community college campus in California, according to the Sacramento Bee.

The college reported on Monday that it was not notified that ICE would be on campus and did not assist with the operation in any capacity.

“Allan Hancock College strongly condemns immigration enforcement actions that create fear and uncertainty for our students and their families,” the college said in a news release Monday. “Our campuses should be places where every student can learn, grow and pursue their goals without fear.”

805 UndocuFund collected the data from rapid responders who witness the arrests and community members who call and report the arrests of their friends and family members, she said. The group then checks the numbers to ensure there aren’t duplicates of the same incident in the dataset.

Immigration agents remained active in the area on Tuesday, but 805 UndocuFund had yet to confirm how many people had been detained.

This week marked the first time since December that an operation of this magnitude had been seen in the area — with ICE agents plucking people off the streets, Gonzalez said.

Most of the immigration enforcement operations seen locally in recent months have centered on the jails in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo, where ICE agents take inmates into custody as they’re released.

This time, however, ICE agents were taking people into custody as they went to work and dropped their children off at school.

Gonzalez said that while ICE has disrupted Santa Maria, the community is also showing up for one another by reporting the detentions to 805 UndocuFund, which often receives multiple reports for a single incident.

“The community is definitely feeling that fear, but they are also definitely showing that strength and unity,” she said.

The Tribune reached out to ICE for more information but did not immediately receive a response.

What we know about Central Coast ICE activity

On Monday, ICE agents detained people on the sidewalk while many of them traveled to and from work, Gonzalez said.

At 6:30 a.m., ICE detained one man at the corner of Stowell Road and Miller Street. Then, at 7:20 a.m., agents detained a man at Blosser Road and Stowell Road and then took another man into custody from the Santa Maria Jail at 7:30 a.m.

One person was taken into ICE custody from Alton Drive at 8:10 a.m., and agents then detained one man on West Main Street at 8:30 a.m.

At 9:30 a.m., ICE took a man from Allan Hancock College as he dropped his daughter off at school.

At 10 a.m., agents detained a man at North Broadway and East Mill Street, and at 10:10 a.m., ICE took two people from DMV Partner Sandy’s Registration at 703 South Broadway.

At 11 a.m., ICE detained one person from El Milagro Market at 408 North Benwiley Ave. and another person on Mill Street and Broadway.

Later, at 12:30 p.m., ICE took another person from Sandy’s Registration on South Broadway and then detained one person at Western Avenue and Main Street at 1:40 p.m.

Agents took one man from Santa Barbara Street in Guadalupe at 2:20 p.m. Then, at 2:30 p.m., agents took one man from Western Garden Apartments and two people from Skyway Drive.

The agents who conducted the arrests were driving vehicles known to park at the ICE offices in Santa Maria and Camarillo, Gonzalez said.

The people who were detained on Monday were processed at ICE facilities in Santa Maria or Camarillo, before being transferred to another location by Tuesday, Gonzalez said. People cannot be held overnight in the Santa Maria or Camarillo ICE facilities, she said.

She had confirmed that one of the detainees was in custody at an ICE detention center in Adelanto on Tuesday morning.

This recent activity is a smaller version of the ICE swarm in December, when agents took at least 92 people into custody from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties during a three-day period. That also focused on people who were on their way to work.

ICE agent displays ‘aggressiveness,’ ‘incompetence,’ local organizer says

The man who was detained was standing on the sidewalk next to a parked car while waiting for a ride to work, Gonzalez said.

The immigration agent drove up in front of the parked car and stepped out of his own vehicle without shifting into park. The government vehicle then rolled into the parked car, hitting it head-on, as the agent scrambled to get back into the driver’s seat, the footage showed.

Another agent, who was sitting in the passenger seat, stepped out of the vehicle as the driver reversed and parked the car, the video showed.

Gonzalez identified the agents in the video as ICE and said they conducted an arrest shortly after the crash occurred. She said 805 UndocuFund was in contact with the detainee’s family.

She described the incident as an example of the “aggressiveness” and “incompetence” that ICE agents show in the community.

Gonzalez encouraged community members to report suspected federal immigration enforcement activity to 805 UndocuFund’s Rapid Response Network hotline at 805-870-8855.

Donations are accepted through the organization’s emergency assistance fund online at 805undocufund.org/donate — where 100% of the money goes to families impacted by ICE detentions.

“This is essential for families when the main breadwinner is taken,” Gonzalez told The Tribune. “That definitely helps the family get through the roughest patch.”

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