At the Feb. 3 City Council meeting, a resolution expressing support for immigrant residents was brought forward and approved. I could not support it, not because I oppose standing with immigrant families, but because what unfolded during council’s discussion revealed how easily words of support can be undermined by harmful rhetoric and a refusal to act.
During the meeting, Mayor Alice Patino justified ICE enforcement by framing it as a matter of public safety and by repeatedly alluding to immigrants as violent criminals. That framing is not only deeply hurtful, it is factually wrong.
Extensive research shows that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are less likely to commit violent crime than U.S.-born citizens. A January 2026 study by the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge found that under recent federal enforcement expansions, ICE detentions have overwhelmingly targeted non-criminal, law-abiding Latino residents. Nearly three-quarters of those detained had never been convicted of a crime, contradicting the narrative that ICE focuses on “dangerous criminals.”
When elected officials invoke “public safety” to justify immigration enforcement, they perpetuate a dangerous narrative. That rhetoric does more than harm immigrant families, it undermines the work of our police department.
I respect the leadership of our police chief, who has stated that the Police Department does not work with or assist ICE. That distinction between local public safety and federal immigration enforcement is critical. Public safety is strengthened when residents know their local police are not there to serve as an extension of ICE. Preserving that clarity is essential to the safety and stability of our community.
Equally troubling was the role of the rest of my colleagues on council. The resolution was brought forward and framed as a show of “support” for immigrant communities. However, when given the opportunity to strengthen it with concrete actions—citywide training, transparency requirements, and clear limits on the use of city resources—they chose not to act. That is performative leadership: offering words of solidarity while declining to take the steps that would make that solidarity real.
During the meeting, I asked my colleagues directly whether they disagreed with the violent ICE tactics that have separated families, violated constitutional rights, and traumatized our community. Not one council member said no. Silence in the face of harm is not neutrality, it is complicity.
Santa Maria’s immigrant families deserve leadership that rejects false narratives about criminality, respects the integrity of local law enforcement, and is willing to pair words with action.
Public safety is built on trust. And trust cannot coexist with rhetoric that criminalizes immigrants or excuses harm. I will continue to stand with our immigrant neighbors and push for policies that protect dignity, safety, and truth, not just resolutions that may sound good on paper.
Gloria S. Soto
Santa Maria City Council member
This article appears in February 12 – February 19, 2026.