A Santa Maria High School student with disabilities was allegedly assaulted by two ICE agents on his way to school.
The 20-year old U.S. citizen was reportedly tackled by two federal immigration agents and forced into their car, according to a news release from Indivisible Santa Maria on Friday.
The ICE agents questioned the student about his name, date of birth and citizenship status before leaving him in an alleyway with bruises, lacerations and a broken wrist that required surgery.
“The student then proceeded to walk to school,” said Kenny Klein, public information officer for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, in a statement. “School administration called an ambulance, and the student was taken to the hospital to receive medical care.”
805 UndocuFund is organizing a protest at 5 p.m. on Saturday at 625 S. McClelland Ave. in Santa Maria in support of the student who was allegedly assaulted by ICE.
Klein said the Santa Maria Police Department responded to the event and has notified the District Attorney, the California Attorney General and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Parents, students and staff were also notified of the alleged assault, Klein added.
The event comes amidst a surge in immigration enforcement across the Central Coast. Over 200 people have been detained or remain unaccounted for across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties since Oct. 5, according to data from 805 UndocuFund.
The non-profit organization responds to ICE activity in the region and supports families affected by immigration enforcement with legal and financial assistance.
An ICE spokesperson said the student matched the description of someone the agents were targeting in Santa Maria on Wednesday, and “when the individual resisted officers, refused lawful commands, and assumed a fighting stance with clenched fists, they relied on their training to safely control the situation until they could confirm his identity, whereupon he was released.”
The ICE spokesperson also denied that the student had broken his wrist from the incident.
“Claims that the individual suffered broken bones are FALSE,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to the News-Press. “He never requested medical assistance.”
Santa Maria City Councilwoman Gloria Soto took to social media on Thursday in response to the event.
“This is unacceptable,” Soto wrote in an Instagram post. “Our children should never have to fear for their safety in their own community.”
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, also shared his disbelief via his X account on Friday.
“The student is a U.S. citizen and sustained injuries severe enough that they needed surgery,” Carbajal wrote. “This is outrageous and we should not tolerate these tactics.”
Santa Maria has been among the hardest hit communities for federal immigration enforcement in Santa Barbara County since the start of the second Trump administration.
On Oct. 15, Alexandria Quintanar, a volunteer for 805 UndocuFund, was detained by ICE after an agent followed her while allegedly driving recklessly in Santa Maria.
Quintanar was released from ICE custody shortly after.
805 Undocufund, alongside CAUSE, Future Leaders of America, The Fund for Santa Barbara, MICOP, Immigrant Legal Defense Center, Santa Maria Indivisible and the California Immigrant Policy Center has also called for an investigation into the case, as well as an official stance from the city of Santa Maria that it will not support or facilitate ICE enforcement.
[Updated at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026] This story was updated to include comments from an ICE spokesperson.
