Santa Barbara, Calif. – Representative Salud Carbajal used a virtual press conference on Monday to demand more transparency from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Carbajal, who represents California’s 24th Congressional District, said the administration’s immigration‑enforcement approach appears designed to intimidate communities and suppress voter participation.
Carbajal’s call for accountability
“When we get specific cases of people who feel their rights were violated, we ask about those specific cases and there should be some transparency, but rarely do we get any information from them whatsoever,” Carbajal told the audience, joined by Congressman Jim Costa and other local leaders.
Carbajal warned that U.S. citizens have been apprehended during ICE operations, sending a message that constitutional rights could be ignored. “I think it’s a full press by this administration to suppress the vote, to create intimidation,” he said.
Challenger Bob Smith’s response
Bob Smith, the Republican challenger for the 24th District seat, agreed that transparency is needed but rejected the notion that ICE actions are intended to intimidate voters. “I want to know who’s being targeted, why they’re being targeted, who was picked up, who were their family members,” Smith said. “I would want complete transparency on everything that’s going on so that we don’t have the rhetoric on either side.”
Smith dismissed Carbajal’s voter‑intimidation claim as political rhetoric, noting, “I don’t think that’s an issue at all. I mean, if you are an illegal immigrant here, you can’t vote anyway.”
Local advocates report rising enforcement
Immigrant‑rights advocates on the Central Coast say ICE activity has become more visible. Michelle Ambriz, a policy advocate with CAUSE, described a “big increase” in enforcement in Santa Maria, noting that it now feels “a lot more in our faces.”
According to the local organization 805 UndocuFund, roughly 150 people have been detained by federal immigration authorities across the Central Coast since Oct. 5, and more than 1,300 immigration‑related arrests have occurred in Santa Barbara County since January of last year. The figures have not been independently verified.
Calls for documentation and civil‑rights protection
Ambriz urged community members to record any raids, arrests, or detentions, saying video evidence can be forwarded to the state attorney general to address potential civil‑rights violations.
Both candidates emphasized the need for clear information, but their interpretations of ICE’s impact differ sharply. Carbajal frames the enforcement as a tool of voter suppression, while Smith portrays the criticism as partisan exaggeration.
What this means for voters
The debate highlights how immigration enforcement is becoming a focal point in the upcoming congressional race. Voters in the 24th District will be watching how each candidate balances law‑and‑order concerns with civil‑rights protections, especially as the community seeks answers about who is being targeted and why.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
