Immigration detentions documented in Santa Barbara have increased by nearly 700% during the first five months of 2026.
The data, compiled by 805 Undocufund, shows the nonprofit documented 319 detentions between Jan. 1 and May 31, in contrast to 40 during the same period a year prior. Immigration attorneys who work with local families say the increase reflects what they have seen in their own practices.
Since Jan. 1, 2025, the organization has recorded at least 865 detention cases countywide.
“It’s just unheard of. We really haven’t seen something like this,” said Andrea Anaya, an immigration attorney with Santa Barbara-firm Kingston, Martinez & Hogan LLP.
Anaya said the increase reflects what her office has experienced since early 2025, with more calls from families after loved ones are detained. Unlike in previous years, she said, many of those cases involve people with little or no criminal history who are detained on their way to work or outside their homes.
“We get calls from the surprised families of people who don’t have removal orders, who don’t have criminal history, or very minimal,” Anaya said.
Joseph Dobzynski, who works as a rapid response organizer with 805 Undocufund, said the nonprofit attributes the increase to heightened immigration enforcement across the Central Coast.
Using trained volunteers, reports from community members and direct verification with affected families, the organization documents enforcement activity and detentions.
“We don’t take any unsubstantiated reports,” Dobzynski said. “The numbers we have are ones that we’ve confirmed either through direct experience or through collecting and documenting things happening out in the public.”
Because the organization only includes confirmed cases, Dobzynski said the published figures should be considered minimum totals and likely do not capture every detention that takes place.
While these figures are not official government totals, Dobzynski said they offer a glimpse into the immigration enforcement activity as documented by the nonprofit. Because the organization only counts cases it’s capable of independently verifying, he said the data is intended to show confirmed trends rather than capture every detention that occurs.
The majority of the detentions since Jan. 1, 2025, have taken place in Santa Maria, where the organization reported 545 cases. Lompoc accounted for 168 of these documented detentions, with the city of Santa Barbara following closely with 104 cases.
The organization has also documented detentions across Carpinteria, Goleta, Montecito, Guadalupe, Solvang and Santa Ynez.
Dobzynski shared that the nonprofit’s grand total stands at at least 2,126 cases across the tri-county region since Jan. 1, 2025, with Santa Barbara County making up 41% of that figure.
After an individual is detained, Anaya said what happens next is largely dependent on that person’s immigration history and legal status.
Some individuals are transferred to immigration detention facilities while awaiting hearings. Others with prior removal orders may face expedited deportation proceedings, depending on their immigration history.
For Anaya, the change is measured not solely by numbers, but also by what happens following the arrest.
One of the most significant differences she has observed in recent years is that individuals who previously may have been released while their immigration cases move forward are now remaining in custody for much longer.
“For years and years, somebody who has no criminal history, who’s been here for decades of their life, who has minor children, would be allowed to be released on bond,” Anaya said. “They would at least be allowed to remain with their family. The fact that somebody isn’t able to do that now, there’s no logic.”
She said that the shift has created additional uncertainty for families, many of whom are forced to navigate the immigration system for the first time after a loved one is taken into custody.
Dobzynski said that “the worst cases are the ones that involve children,” and that families are often forced to make difficult decisions after someone is detained.
“Often, the people who are being detained are given this impossible choice, where they have to decide whether to voluntarily depart the country and go back to their country of origin… or they’re going to go rot in a detention center for months,” he said.
To help families during that time, 805 Undocufund provides legal referrals, emergency financial assistance and mutual aid resources ranging from food and clothing to transportation and school supplies.
The organization also works to educate and prepare community members before enforcement actions occur by offering “know your rights” information and encouraging families to make emergency plans should a loved one be detained.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication.
