Santa Barbara County Calls for More Information About ICE Actions in Carpinteria
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – A frustrated Board of Supervisors has sounded off about Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – ICE actions last week in Carpinteria.
Ten arrests were made at Glasshouse Farms as part of a larger effort with search warrants, that included a Glasshouse location in Camarillo. In all 361 arrests were made and ten minors were found in the cannabis facility in Ventura County.
The Santa Barbara leaders are asking for more information including who was arrested and why.
They also want ICE to appear at a future meeting to answer questions.
If more funding is going to be allocated for resources and services relating to the response of the enforcement actions, the county wants financial help from each of its cities.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch said he did not favor the tactics used and urged everyone to remember “the rule of law.”
He said the opponents need to meet, “their force with our voice. Meet their force with our actions.”
Savrnoch did not want anyone hurt and said those who are throwing cinder blocks or attacking the agents are breaking the law and face consequences. He suggested other ways to speak out. “Violent and dangerous people will face consequences,” he said. He also warned, “my fear is there will be more large scale military enforcement.”
Prior to the root of his comments he talked about the immigrant background his family went through and challenges they had generations ago.
Sheriff Bill Brown said his department does not participate in ICE actions or immigration enforcement. He understood that people from other countries do not always know the difference between the military and city or county law enforcement.
County Public Defender Tracy Macuga said, “ICE is allowed to racially profile.” She said it goes far beyond what was scene in the local area. “What is occurring in our community, what is occurring on the Central Coast, what is occurring nationally can only be described as government sanctioned terror.”
Primitiva Hernandez is the Executive Director of 805UndocuFund and says, “it will continue escalating. and we need the resources from our county. Not only the funding, we need actual protection that can help us to have a fighting chance against the unhinged federal agents.”
The newest member of the board said he did not feel protected after what he has seen.
Roy Lee is the supervisor for the First District which covers the Capinteria Valley. He told the public, “these actions are tearing our community and our business community apart. It’s the first time that I as an immigrant did not feel safe and I’ve been targeted.”
Some of those attending spoke out saying they backed the enforcement by ICE against illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and reminded the board that underage children were found working in a cannabis farm.
One supervisor said farm workers, mainly immigrants, are still on the job in Northern Santa Barbara County and elsewhere and not staying away as has been suggested.
Bob Nelson read a statement from a Northern Santa Barbara County farm owner saying, “the headlines claim up to 70 percent of the farmworkers fled California fields during the recent immigration raids, and our farm ran at 95 percent labor capacity. If there is a crisis, it hasn’t arrived here.”
Some members of the South Coast are quick to point out that the enforcement was specifically targeted at on cannabis producer with an address just outside of the Carpinteria city limits and not general farm fields overall.
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