Santa Barbara Family Caught in Immigration Crackdown, Community Organizer Speaks Out
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A community organizer is raising concerns and sharing images of immigration enforcement officers taking a young man into custody early Sunday morning on Santa Barbara’s Westside.
Michael Montenegro, who spoke with the family, said they felt terrorized and shared their ordeal and images with him.
“These government officials, whether they are ICE or the FBI, came to this home and covered a neighbor’s security camera. They first knocked on the door, saying, ‘Open up, we have a warrant.’ The family knew their rights and asked for the warrant to be slipped under the door, but officials refused,” Montenegro said. “They then used a battering ram and busted the door open. I have clear photos and footage of this.”
When asked about covering cameras, an FBI spokesperson said it is "standard procedure to obscure, prevent recordings."
Montenegro said the individual taken into custody—who may have been reported due to a recent misdemeanor DUI two weeks ago—went peacefully and has since been released.
The family, made up of both U.S. citizens and undocumented relatives, shared their story with Montenegro to raise awareness and inform the community that the FBI is involved in immigration enforcement.
An adult U.S. citizen in the home said he invoked his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and asked to see a warrant, but one was never presented.
“The good news is that the family was able to get an attorney and post bail. At this moment, he is reunited with his family, and there is a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal fees,” Montenegro said.
Those fees could be in the range of $6,000, he added.
Montenegro said he expects more arrests and deportations in Santa Barbara County and urged people to document enforcement actions.
“If you see ICE or any other suspicious activity that is not local law enforcement—like the sheriff’s office or Santa Barbara Police Department—document it. Take footage, take photos, add a timestamp,” Montenegro said. “It’s important to tell the story accurately and not stir up hysteria.”
FBI Media Coordinator Laura Eilmiller, from the Los Angeles Field Office, confirmed the FBI has been assisting the Department of Homeland Security since late January but declined to comment on specific arrests.
Assistance may include investigative, technical, and analytical personnel, as well as SWAT teams when necessary.
Some local conservatives, who declined to speak on camera, said legal records have led to ICE arrests in the past.
During the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, President Donald Trump’s border czar said he would “bring hell” to top law enforcement officials who refuse to comply with ICE crackdowns on undocumented immigrants.
Neighbors on the Westside expressed concerns about enforcement actions.
One young mother, who requested anonymity, said she is a U.S. citizen and that her husband has been working toward citizenship legally.
She said they have spent significant money to go through the proper legal channels and now fear their efforts may be in jeopardy.
It remains unclear how many immigration enforcement arrests have been made along the coast.
