Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump ran on a platform of focusing on the crackdown of illegal immigration, vowing to the American people that he would implement mass deportations after elected.
This, however, is not the first time that Trump has ramped up efforts to deport undocumented workers.
In 2017, arrests made for undocumented individuals rose by approximately 30% as a result of legislation and executive orders.
A significant threat to increase deportations lingers above the country, resulting in undocumented Hispanic communities being thrown into a state of panic and fear, unsure of what the future holds for them.
Throughout all these changes, the Santa Barbara community has come together in order to aid undocumented workers, families, and individuals.
Organizations have called the community to action in order to help Hispanic residents during this fearful time.
Local organization La Casa de La Raza recognizes the financial burden that comes from being scared to step outside of one’s home, and aided undocumented immigrants by hosting a donation drive.
A local Santa Barbara resident, Irene Reyes, who lives in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, says the fear that this administration has sparked in the community is palpable.
“Now that this new government has been put in place the streets around the Westside has felt emptier, there aren’t people eating out in restaurants because they are scared to be away from their families, because they are scared of deportation,” Reyes said.
Through social media, local organizations have come together to keep tabs on ICE sightings in order to aid undocumented residents.
During a press conference held regarding the presence of ICE in Santa Barbara, Sheriff Bill Brown spoke out about the fear and panic being felt by the Hispanic community.
“And I’ve heard from representatives of the Hispanic community that there’s a lot of rumors that ICE was seen, and vehicles were seen, and everything else…that there were raids and things that were happening and going on, and most of it untrue,” Brown said.
Sheriff Brown stated that while his department will not enforce federal immigration law, the department will notify ICE when charged undocumented individuals are set to be released from custody.
Prinitiva Hernandez, the executive director of local organization 805UndocuFund, stated that not only did the county’s relationship with ICE spread fear among the Hispanic community, but it also bars undocumented criminals from the chance of rehabilitation at the end of their sentence due to deportation.
The Santa Barbara community stands together with the Hispanic community through protests.
In Dec. 2024, protesters, representing Santa Barbara’s Hispanic community, retaliated against the county’s relationship with ICE.
In February, the protest took place at the Milpas Street roundabout where hundreds of residents gathered in solidarity for undocumented families and individuals.
Senior Milton Lopez Plascencia attended a local protest that took place on De La Guerra Street.
“It felt very empowering to get my voice out and yell out what needed to be said. It’s nice to see that people also have that support for us that aren’t necessarily people within our community,” Milton said.
In light of recent events the community has also shown its support to the Santa Barbara Latino community through drives put on by local organizations and protests throughout the city.
Despite immigration being a federal issue, there are still many ways in which people in the Santa Barbara community can aid immigrant populations.
“The community can help by showing their support. Even if they’re not a part of the [Latino] community, they can still go to the protest or even if they’re just watching they can show their support, just so we know that we’re being listened to. Just like showing their moral support for the [Latino] community can help a lot,” Milton said.
