On Monday morning, ICE agents arrested a student’s parent at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, according to a press release from the school. An activist group says the arrest was part of a surge in ICE activity across the city.
First-year student Mayrin didn’t share her last name to protect her family’s safety, but says her dad was driving her to class when he was pulled over by ICE agents.
“I told my dad to not cooperate, but he still did,” Mayrin said. “They told him to get out of the car, and they just took him.”
Mayrin told KCBX her family hadn’t been able to reach her father over the phone as of Monday afternoon, but knew where he was located.
In an Instagram post, the immigrant rights group 805 Undocufund said they received reports of 16 arrests by ICE agents across Santa Maria on Monday, plus one in Guadalupe.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond in time to KCBX’s questions asking if ICE agents arrested a man on the Allan Hancock College campus, or if there was a surge operation in the city.
However, a spokesperson from ICE’s LA office told the outlet Noozhawk that the agency has no record of activity at Allan Hancock College.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, Santa Maria City Council Member Gloria Soto called on her fellow council members to take action on the issue.
“They need to do more than just passing watered down resolutions,” she said. “They need to do more than saying, ‘I'm an immigrant, I stand by immigrants.’"
According to a press release from Allan Hancock College, ICE didn’t notify them prior to coming on campus and the school didn’t participate in the arrest.
"Allan Hancock College strongly condemns immigration enforcement actions that create fear and uncertainty for our students and their families,” College President Kevin Walthers said in a statement.
In the press release, the college encouraged students to visit the Allan Hancock College website for more information and resources.
