Local advocacy groups respond to reported ICE activity in Santa Maria

Your weekly dose of local news, arts, and culture. Our News Wire newsletter lands every Thursday with the stories shaping Northern Santa Barbara County

SEND ME THE HEADLINES!

Four months after leading an ICE protest outside of Santa Maria City Hall, 17-year-old Cesar Vasquez adorned a cap and gown a few blocks away at Santa Maria High School’s June 12 graduation ceremony

Vasquez said it was difficult for him and some of his peers to enjoy the accomplishment because of recent reports about ICE activity in Santa Maria. 

“I wasn’t able to focus on my graduation,” Vasquez told the Sun. “For a few of my friends, actually, their parents weren’t willing to attend this graduation out of fear that they would be picked up, or that there would be an ICE raid.”

While many students stood for the national anthem during the ceremony, Vasquez and a handful of others kneeled instead as an act of protest. A video clip of Vasquez kneeling went viral on TikTok. The post has more than 15,000 likes as of June 17.

“At this point, there isn’t a lot I can do, … other than organize [protests] and fight against the current administration,” said Vasquez, who plans to organize another ICE protest at Santa Maria City Hall in early August.

The day before Vasquez’s graduation from Santa Maria High School, the Central Coast Alliance United for Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) reported that a total of at least 40 farmworkers were detained in areas across Ventura County and Santa Barbara County on June 10. 

The nonprofit has bases in Santa Paula, Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Santa Maria.

“This number would have been much higher if it hadn’t been for powerful organizing and informed employers,” CAUSE co-executive director Hazel Davalos said in a June 11 statement. “CAUSE was in touch with workers at nine ranches that ICE attempted to enter; fortunately employers denied entry at these workplaces.”

Claire Wineman, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, said that the nonprofit aims to keep its partnering farm owners informed on various property rights, including rights related to granting law enforcement access to their property.

“There are certain restrictions on private property access, and that’s something we’ve provided outreach on for a long time,” Wineman said. “There are situations where there’s limitations on those restrictions, … depending on the specific facts and circumstances.

“We try to help members navigate those nuances as well,” Wineman continued. “Private property access restrictions are an important piece of maintaining a safe and orderly workplace.” 

This article appears in Jun 19-29, 2025.