Immigration Resources Stronger than Ever in Santa Barbara County

Central Coast community organizers, legal experts, and policymakers are working together to brace for the expected impacts of a second Trump administration on the estimated 44,000 undocumented residents living and working in Santa Barbara County. 

Last week, Supervisor Laura Capps and the County Commission for Women hosted a workshop alongside several other organizations to take a look at what kind of resources are available to protect immigrants, and figure out how to combat the fears and myths swirling around about immigrants’ rights. 

“Fear is such a tremendous factor right now,” Capps said, “and fear is what we’re up against in the short term.”

She said these fears were well-founded, but it was important to remember that the Central Coast was prepared to handle the potential impacts with mindful leadership and dozens of public resources already available.

The Immigration Legal Defense Center’s Executive Director Julissa Peña explained that, while California is a sanctuary state, immigration law can be “complex and confusing,” and people facing deportation don’t have the right to government appointed counsel.

The lack of legal representation was the “biggest need at this time,” Peña said, and most people don’t know their rights or that they can receive pro-bono services to help with many legal issues. 

Jennifer Smith, executive director of the Legal Aid Foundation, provides similar free services for people seeking immigration remedies. Here in Santa Barbara, Smith says, she expects to see an uptick in illegal discrimination — such as landlords making threats to tenants based on immigration status — along with an alarming trend of “notary fraud” committed by companies offering fake legal services.

The Legal Aid Foundation will be providing free consultations every Tuesday at the Franklin Center, where an attorney will be on hand to help people find out if they qualify for an immigration remedy like a special visa or advanced parole.

Importa Santa Barbara is an organization providing Department of Justice–accredited assistance with immigration remedies, DACA act renewals, or adjustment of legal status. LEAP (Learn, Engage, Advocate Partners) is a family resource center that helps families understand their rights should anybody face deportation.

“We think it’s very important for families to know what their rights are and what to say if somebody comes knocking on your door,” said LEAP Program Director Ana Maya. “A lot of our families are going through all these emotions.”

Jacqueline Inda of La Casa de la Raza said it was time for local leaders to lean on experience gained during the first Trump administration. “We’re walking on paths we have already walked several years ago. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” she said. “Let our Latino community stand with equal voice and equal access to power.”

Inda also wanted to make it clear there were safe spaces where people could gather and seek resources without fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE officers cannot detain anybody at schools, courthouses, hospitals, or faith-based community centers.

Santa Barbara County Undersheriff Craig Bonner said he wanted to dispel “misinformation and rhetoric flying around” about immigration enforcement. He emphasized that state and local law enforcement do not ever ask about immigration status, nor do they arrest or detain anybody for violations of immigration law.

“And that will not change because of the federal administration change,” Bonner said. “With all the misinformation and fraud that’s occurring, we all need to keep restating and reassuring our community members that any reports or threats of local law enforcement enforcing immigration law are false and should be reported. We need to ensure that that is stopped.”

He said that the Sheriff’s Office was committed to ensuring the safety of “all community members, irrespective of their immigration status.”

Similarly, Santa Barbara Unified School District does not assist or allow ICE on campus, and schools do not require or collect any information about immigration status as part of the enrollment process.

For many of the advocates at the workshop, the next four years will be about messaging to the public, maintaining the policies currently in place, and bringing back programs that have proven success — such as the Drivers Listos program, which provides free rides to and from appointments, or Santa Barbara City College’s Dream Center, which provides free immigration services for anybody signed up for at least one unit.

“We have a huge family of people that are dedicated to reducing the negative impacts and supporting one another — especially our most vulnerable,” said Supervisor Capps.