About 200 people gathered at the Biergarten in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone Monday for the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County social lab event, “Fear by Design: ICE Tactics, Impact, and What We Can Do About It.”
The discussion focused on how federal immigration enforcement is hurting immigrant families across Santa Barbara County.
Speakers at the event described a climate of fear spreading through immigrant communities, saying enforcement actions are impacting schools, families and local neighborhoods.
Second District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps said the event was meant to move beyond discussion and toward concrete action.
“It’s all about showing up for our immigrant community,” Capps said. “We do it in countless ways all the time, but tonight was about action and taking specific steps for the future.”
Capps said she and First District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee are getting ready to introduce a package of local policies designed to protect residents from ICE.
“We’re working with Supervisor Lee to bring forward a package of policies to protect our democracy and make sure that laws currently on the books don’t get trampled by the federal government, by ICE,” Capps said.
Undocumented residents, Capps said, make up roughly 10 percent of Santa Barbara County’s population, with many more family members and community members directly connected to them.
“With that comes another exponential number—their spouses, their children, their loved ones—all of us who are connected to our undocumented community,” she said.
Advocates said the effects of immigration enforcement are visible in schools and households across the county.
Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of 805 UndocuFund, said families often experience widespread fear after immigration raids.
“What we are seeing on the ground a year into this administration is a pervasive sense of fear in our communities, regardless of whether you’re documented or undocumented,” Hernandez said.
She noted that school attendance frequently drops after enforcement operations, with some students taking on additional responsibilities at home.
“Many youth have had to become the main income earners of their home where their parents are no longer part of the household unit,” Hernandez said. “You have teens now working to help support their families, and that affects their performance in school.”
Hernandez explained that the long-term consequences could last well beyond the immediate moment, likely being felt for generations.
During the event, Hernandez also announced a $20,000 donation in honor of community member Beth Goodman, recognizing her advocacy for immigrant families.
Goodman previously drew public attention after confronting federal immigration agents during an enforcement operation and was pepper-sprayed by the agents.
“There are so many brave and loving humans behind the scenes,”Goodman said. “All of our citizens, regardless of the color of their skin, deserve to feel safe, and their children need to be able to go to school without fear that when they get out, their parents will have been taken.”
Julissa Peña, an attorney with the Immigrant Legal Defense Center, said legal advocates are particularly concerned about changes in enforcement practices when it comes to children.
“This is the first time in my career that I’ve seen an administration trying very hard to remove everyone and anyone, including children,” Peña said.
Despite those concerns, Peña emphasized that constitutional protections apply to everyone living in the United States.
“It is important to remember that everyone who lives in the United States has constitutional rights regardless of immigration status,” Peña said. “When enforcement escalates and due process is disregarded, it creates the perception that rights no longer matter—but rights do not disappear when immigration agents go rogue.”
Capps closed the discussion by emphasizing the strength of local community support.
“Our local community is so strong and united and compassionate,” she said. “This shows that we’re writing a different story in Santa Barbara County.”
