The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing Tuesday on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in the county.
Supervisors Laura Capps and Roy Lee are proposing revisions to county policies related to federal immigration enforcement through a three-part proposal.
First, they want to update existing policy to clarify that county-owned property like public parks cannot be used for unauthorized activities, including immigration enforcement operations.
Similar policies in other counties, often referred to as “ICE-free zones”, ban federal agents from taking over public spaces for their own use. The proposed change would likely still allow ICE agents to enter Santa Barbara parks to make arrests.
The second part of the proposal calls for voter education to make it clear that federal agents, including ICE officers, are not allowed at polling locations.
Third, the proposal says the county should explore zoning and permitting rules to prevent ICE from opening offices and detention centers locally.
In a statement, Lee said the goal is to “ensure safe, accessible public grounds that are free from intimidation and chaos.”
