Central Coast Leaders Demand Greater Transparency From ICE After Arrest Surge
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Some local politicians and civic leaders are speaking out against a surge in ICE arrests in Santa Barbara county over the last week.
Santa Maria seemed to be a hub of ICE’s activity.
Local leaders say it started right after Christmas, has continued daily, and patterns are giving indications of racial profiling.
Immigrant rights groups say nearly 150 members of Santa Barbara county’s communities--including about 85 residents of Santa Maria--were reported earlier this week as having been apprehended by federal agents.
“In the last couple of weeks, we've seen more than 100 folks get arrested by ICE, many of them with no warrants out for their arrest,” says Maria Salguero, an Immigrant Defense Attorney.
Central Coast leaders say that number increases on a daily basis, raising more alarm bells from within the community.
“The purpose for being here today is to shine light, and to also ask for local elected officials to enact protections,” says Santa Maria city councilwoman Gloria Soto.
Advocates say many of the people apprehended by ICE since December 27th didn’t know their immigration status was in question, they had no criminal records, and no warrants were issued for their arrests.
“My understanding is that some of those arrests have been targeted, with a lot of the targets being people who are of indigenous backgrounds,” says Soto. “And so the trend that we're noticing is that a lot of these arrests may be racially profiled.”
State senator Monique Limon, Santa Maria city councilwoman Gloria Soto, immigrant legal defense attorney Maria Salguero, and others spoke at Friday morning’s press conference.
Leaders say that some people are caught off guard when their immigration status is in question, and that fixing their status is not always as easy as it seems.
“Certain governments, even in the United States, that there are consular offices, they're refusing to give them any sort of identification in retaliation for their political involvement in their home countries,” says Salguero.
Leaders are demanding greater transparency and better protections for families who are allowed to live in the U.S. amid a surge in arrests.
During this recent surge in arrests, at least one person with a criminal background was arrested.
Homeland Security says a man named Juan Perez-Tello was arrested December 28th in Santa Barbara.
He was sentenced for child sexual abuse in 2005.
Local leaders and advocates say you can join the Rapid Response Network to find ways to help.
The number for their hotline is (805) 870-8855.
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