U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a series of raids on Father's Day in Santa Barbara, detaining between nine and 11 individuals, according to local activists. The operations, which began before 7 a.m. Sunday, targeted neighborhoods on both the Westside and Eastside of the affluent coastal city.
Among those taken into custody were three mariachi musicians apprehended in the early morning hours near San Pascual and Mulberry streets. Activists from the group S.B. Resiste stated the musicians were reportedly connected to a Father's Day tradition. Accounts differed on whether the musicians were actively participating in the tradition or en route to do so when detained.
Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon confirmed that local law enforcement was not given advance notification of the federal operation. She added that the department had not received any calls for service related to the reported activity in the Westside neighborhoods between 1 a.m. and the time of the raids.
Activists also alleged that a U.S. citizen was detained during the operation before being released later in Oxnard. Federal authorities had not publicly released details regarding the operation, including the identities of those detained or specific immigration-related allegations, as of Monday morning.
This incident follows a similar operation in May when ICE agents boarded a Disney cruise ship in San Diego and arrested multiple crew members.