Holiday ICE Raids Detain 147 on California’s Central Coast as Local Leaders Decry Impact

Overview

• Community groups and city officials detailed arrests at homes, job sites, businesses and on local streets during a weeklong enforcement push.
• The Rapid Response Network reported 38 detentions on Saturday — 36 in Santa Maria and two in San Luis Obispo — followed by 15 in Lompoc, eight in Santa Maria and two in Santa Barbara.
• Immigrant-rights groups said enforcement intensified in northern San Luis Obispo County with nearly 20 people taken in Paso Robles and San Miguel on Tuesday.
• A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not provide immediate comment on the operations.
• Organizers said their real-time alert system costs about $600 per verified text and has required more than $8 million to operate, as advocates shared a testimonial alleging a family was taken except for a 3-year-old U.S.-born child.