Undocumented Santa Barbara Father Detained by ICE Remains in Custody After Arrest

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — An undocumented Santa Barbara father detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Sunday morning on the Westside was nearly reunited with his family before the federal government intervened to block his release.

News Channel first reported on this story on Monday and spoke with Michael Montenegro, a community organizer, who spoke with the family. He said they felt terrorized and shared their ordeal and images with him. The man's sister contacted News Channel on Wednesday to clarify a few facts and provide an update.

The sister said he was taken by ICE and FBI officers who covered a neighbor’s Ring camera around 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

An FBI spokesperson said it is "standard procedure to obscure, prevent recordings."

The man’s sister said her brother, a single father of three with a baby on the way, had recently completed a court-ordered DUI program after a misdemeanor arrest. She said his probation officer assured him he had no warrant and would not be deported. However, just two days after his ankle monitor was removed, he was arrested in what she described as a forceful raid at their mother’s home.

According to his family, he was detained on a charge of re-entering the U.S. after deportation, not because of his DUI case. After a judge ruled in his favor to set bail on Monday, the federal government appealed, securing a stay that has kept him in custody in Los Angeles County.

His family has already spent about $6,000 on court and legal fees and expects to spend more as they fight for his release. They added that his two younger children have suffered from being displaced and moved frequently since his initial deportation.

“He is still a father who has worked every day of his life,” his sister said. “Yes, he made a mistake, but he complied completely and did everything that was asked of him.”

The family is now raising funds to help with legal costs and plans to work toward obtaining his citizenship.

Jennifer Sanchez, who manages donations at the Casa de la Raza community center, said he is missed by family and friends who worry he may not return home.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover his legal fees.