ICE detention centers can’t be created on privately owned or leased unincorporated Santa Barbara County land, planners said Tuesday—answering a key question asked by elected leaders in an ongoing effort to check federal immigration enforcement.
However, ICE detention centers could still pop up on federally owned or leased properties where county codes do not apply, officials said.
In a 5-0 vote, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday directed county staff members to immediately raise alarm bells if and when a private applicant submits a development project that appears to resemble a jail-like ICE holding facility.
“If we get one here… it will result with more families torn apart, more generational trauma,” said Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, who vowed to respond to such a project by proposing an emergency 45-day moratorium extendable up to 2 years.
‘One more measure’
Tuesday’s revelations follow a series of related actions. In a 4-1 vote in April, the board prohibited ICE from using county properties, parks, and recreation areas for activities considered “unauthorized.” Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson dissented, concerned the response was unenforceable.
At that same April meeting, the board directed county planners to identify and assess how the county might prevent or constrain the creation of federal detainee housing.
On Tuesday, Nelson questioned whether a moratorium on detention centers would ever be necessary if county rules already work against ICE facilities on private property.
County Planning Director Lisa Plowman responded: “It’s just an additional measure that the board could take that allows the county additional time to assess any potential impacts. It’s just one more measure that the board could move forward with to prevent anything from happening.”
Nelson ultimately voted with the majority Tuesday, stating he saw no harm in staff simply alerting the board to a potential ICE facility. “More information is always better.”
Detentions up
Activists say 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.
Since the start of President Trump’s second term, ICE has increasingly used private detention centers run by for-profit prison corporations with the capacity to detain large numbers of people, according to Vera, a nonprofit focused on ending mass incarceration.
Nationwide, the vast majority—nearly 80%—of ICE facilities are operated through contracts with private prison corporations, according to DetentionReports.com.
April figures showed an average of about 5,337 people were held in California immigration detention facilities, according to a CalMatters report that cited DetentionReports.com.
That number was up 72% from the average daily population of about 3,104 individuals held in California in April 2025.
‘We need action now’
Larry Barrett, an activist with Indivisible Santa Barbara, told the board he was disappointed with Tuesday’s county report, calling it incomplete.
“The county can use zoning laws to restrict where federal facilities are located, tie their opening to reasonable public health and safety considerations and prohibit siting where we lack adequate services and infrastructure capacity,” Barrett said. “This is an urgent matter, and the staff’s report lacks any sense of urgency.
“We need action now before ICE construction crews arrive here,” he said.
Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said significant change will only come if people vote.
He criticized the electorate in his own district, where turnout for the recent June primary among registered voters was less than 28%.
“I will call out every person in Santa Maria,” Lavagnino said. “It’s embarrassing, the lack of participation at the polls.
“Here’s a community that is under stress,” he said. “I understand people lose faith. But you’ve got to send a message to the government, and the way you do that is by being in the streets and marching, but at the same time you’ve got to go vote.”
