Residents Speak Out at Santa Barbara County Supervisor Meeting, Demanding Clarity on ICE Raids

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Hundreds of residents showed up at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on July 15, 2025 to discuss immigration enforcement in the local area (Photo: Fund for Santa Barbara)

Santa Barbara County’s Board of Supervisors expressed frustration and called for greater transparency following last week’s enforcement actions by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Carpinteria.

The operation resulted in over ten arrests at Glass House Farms in Carpinteria as part of a larger effort tied to search warrants, leading to a total of 361 arrests and the alleged discovery of ten minors working in a cannabis facility in Camarillo.

The Board demanded answers from ICE about who was arrested and the specific charges against them. Supervisors also requested ICE representatives to appear in a future meeting to address their concerns directly. Additionally, the county sought financial support from local cities to help fund services and resources needed in response to these enforcement actions.

District Attorney John Savrnoch criticized ICE’s tactics while emphasizing the importance of maintaining “the rule of law.” He urged opponents of these actions to use non-violent ways to express their discontent. “Meet their force with our voice. Meet their force with our actions,” Savrnoch said, noting the risks posed by violent protests. He warned of possible future large-scale military enforcement while stressing the consequences for those engaging in violence.

Sheriff Bill Brown also weighed in, clarifying that his department does not partake in ICE actions or immigration enforcement. He acknowledged the confusion some immigrants face distinguishing between federal agents and local law enforcement.

Primitiva Hernandez, Executive Director of 805UndocuFund, raised alarm over escalating federal enforcement and called for immediate local protections and funding from the county. She asked for funding, access to county and city owned properties for trainings, and protection from federal agents.

The League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara submitted a letter asking for the County to deploy county emergency vehicles for civilian protection, enforce visibility and identification in law enforcement, designate county facilities as safe zones, and provide material support to rapid response networks.

“We believe Santa Barbara County has both the legal authority and moral obligation to respond swiftly and compassionately,” the league stated.

The nonprofit group Fund for Santa Barbara also submitted a series of requests to Supervisors that include supporting the ACLU of Southern California’s federal lawsuit challenging unconstitutional ICE raids, allocating $1 million in emergency funding to immigrant-rights organizations, and raising the minimum wage for farmworkers to $26/hour.

“Let us be clear: This is state-sanctioned terror—carried out with impunity, and now with deadly consequences,” the Fund stated.

First District Supervisor Roy Lee, who represents Carpinteria, shared his distress over the actions. “It’s the first time that I, as an immigrant, did not feel safe and I’ve been targeted.” Lee argued that the enforcement raids are divisive for both the community and local businesses.

While many voiced opposition to ICE’s actions, others supported the agency, citing its focus on illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Some underscored the ongoing labor issues in California farms, noting that DHS is alleging underage children were among those found working in cannabis facilities.

Supervisor Bob Nelson read a statement from a Northern Santa Barbara County farm owner stating their farm has ran at 95% labor capacity and they have not experienced a crisis or shortage.

The debate underscores growing tensions between local leaders, federal authorities, and communities over immigration enforcement tactics.

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107 Comments

    • The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022. They arrived with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the U.S.

  1. ZIPZ – “children being forced to work at the illegal marijuana grow”

    For the 100th time, you mindless fool…… IT WAS A LEGAL OPERATION and there is NO PROOF the alleged “children” worked there at all, much less being forced.

    Now, time for you to stop. If you can provide proof (and no, the DHS BS post is not proof of anything) that these were “children” and they were being “forced,” I’d gladly denounce it and change my mind.

    Until then, stop acting like a failed doctor and lying with every breath you take.

  2. The GOP has been reducded to a terror organization. The republicans in congress are either for bigotry, authoritarianism and violence, or they are cowards that are too afraid to speak up. Anyone supporting suppression of the 4th and 5 Amendments, or habeas corpus, is an enemy to me and a traitor to the constitution.

  3. You know what would be nice? If the media talked more about the 70,000 Americans who die from fentanyl poisoining every year. But that would actually involve a real debate, instead of cancelling dissenters of popular opinion.

  4. “Alleged” minors at pot fsrm. Gotta love how SB refuses to consider minors were at the pot fsrm per the official government press releases.

    Way to go investigative journalism. Not confirming but denying the authorities report as if the journalist knows otherwise.

    How about sticking the facts snd not undermining he authorities until you can prove your conspiracy theory.

  5. Is it easonable to take 12+ Billion dollars (spent annually on illegal immigrants) away from Legal residents in need? Is it reasonable for illegal immigration to cause a 12 billion dollar deficit? The Council is conflating immigration with illegal immigration, there is a difference …is it reasonable to live in a country illegally, should everyone just do t?

    • Sun – IMO it’s unreasonable to spend any money on illegals for any reason until all Americans, especially American veterans have been properly cared for. Sick and tired of having our money spent in this manner and on lazy ass Americans “playing” the system and then receive benefits.

      • LOL, oh please. The United States Government has been giving the shaft to and spitting in the face of American Military Veterans for as long as we’ve been a nation. Anyone who believes that the nation will eve the care of veterans is an absolute dolt. Anyone who joins the military and believes that the military will be there for them if they are wounded or suffer from long term damage of any kind are naive suckers.

      • Total Budget Deficit Shortfall in California’s 2025–26 budget Est. Impact 12 billion

        Medi-Cal Expansion Costs Health care for undocumented adults exceeded projections $2.7 billion over budget

        Annual Immigrant Health Spending General fund spending on undocumented immigrants’ health care ~$10.8 billion/year

        Sac detail the 90 billion, not all farmers are illegal immigrants

        • SUN – now explain how much it will cost if we cut health care programs for undocumented immigrants. It’s well established that when people don’t have health insurance, they use the ERs and Urgent Cares for routine health issues or not at all until they have severe health issues that could have been prevented by preventative and routine health care. Overflowing ERs and UCs costs the rest of us. Not only in increase costs, but in safety. Read up on that.

          The 90 billion does not just come from farmers. You realize that most employed immigrants pay taxes for benefits they’re not even eligible for, right? Oh and also sales tax, etc. Pretty glaringly ignorant for you to assume it’s only coming from farmers’ contributions to our economy.

          Weird. From all your other comments, I am surprised at your willful ignorance about productive members of your community.

          • If people are not in the country illegally costs will be minimal. You are conflating immigration with illegal immigration. With legal immigration status one files and pays state and federal taxes and you benefit from taxes you pay for benefits. This is the whole reason for legal immigration, both sides benefit and you have a sustainable system. Current illegal aliens, do not file taxes which benefit and support society as a whole from education, transportation, communication, health care, etc…when you are not filing a state and federal income tax, the system becomes unsustainable it has nothing to do with race, it’s sustainability. Unless you have 12 billion to pay for the expense, this money will be taken away from those who file taxes and need it.

            • SUN – LOL yeah fantasizing about something doesn’t make it real. People ARE here, you can’t imagine them away or deport them all. It’s really disturbing that you seem to support this. I thought you were very different. Disappointed.

              As for paying taxes, please say you know that filing your tax return is not the only way people pay taxes. That’s adulting 101 stuff there.

              I’m sorry, but the ignorance here is too much. I suggest you learn more about how taxes work and why these hard-working people aren’t the threat you sadly believe them to be.

              • You are disappointed in having a sustainable system where both sides benefit and pay through filing state and federal income tax.. That’s not ignorance that’s sustainability.. If every amercian took your tax solution of just buying something and thinking that’s enough …the system would fail completely. Currently tax payers, yes those who file federal and state income are burden with the cost ANNUAL 12 billion plus, increasing each year, which is not sustainable . I would think you would understand this.

                • No, SUN, I am disappointed in YOU, no the system. I’m taken aback by your total lack of empathy for our community members and lack of understanding of how taxes work.

                  You still don’t get it. Undocumented workers are still subject to tax withholdings in their paychecks. Not all are paid cash under the table. I don’t know how this does not occur to you.

                  Again, please educate yourself and try to find some kindness in your heart.

                  • @Sac
                    California has about 2.7 million illegal immigrants, about 50% of total illegal immigrants in California pay taxes through ITIN, California received 8.4 billion, however it spent 22 billion…while only 50% of Illegal immigrant pay taxes they all received benefits

                    💸 California’s spending on undocumented immigrants in 2025 is substantial and spread across multiple public services. Here’s a breakdown based on the latest data:

                    🏥 Health Care

                    $8.4 billion is being spent on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, to provide health coverage for undocumented residents

                    https://budget.house.gov/press-release/california-to-spend-84-billion-this-year-on-health-care-for-illegal-aliens

                    This expansion, which began in January 2024, covers all low-income undocumented adults and has exceeded initial budget estimates by billions

                    https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/12/california-medicaid-shortfall-00227904

                    🏫 Education & Social Services

                    California also spends billions on:

                    K–12 public education

                    In-state tuition for undocumented college students

                    Housing assistance

                    Food and nutrition programs

                    These services contribute to a total estimated annual cost of over $22 billion for migrant-related services.

                    https://www.visaverge.com/news/california-buckles-under-soaring-migrant-costs/

                    ⚖️ Legal Aid & Other Programs

                    In 2024, California spent over $8 million on immigration-related legal services through the Equal Access Fund.

                    An additional $10 million was allocated for legal aid via the Department of Social Services.

                    However, starting in 2026, California will restrict legal aid funding for undocumented immigrants convicted of serious felonies.

                    📉 Budget Impact

                    The state is facing a $12 billion budget deficit, and Governor Newsom has proposed freezing Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented adults beginning in 2026 to control costs.

                    California also borrowed $3.44 billion to cover Medi-Cal shortfalls, highlighting the strain on public resources4.

                  • SAC, Very disappointed in you for lying. To everyone and your lack of compassion and empathy for citizen who are good people, work hard and are part of the community. They work hard pay their bills and can not afford to pay for their health care and someone else’s and go into debt.
                    You stated illegal immigrants pay taxes and don’t benefit…total BS
                    While 50 percent of illegal immigrats have a n ITIN number and pay taxes 50 of illegal immigrants do no not pay taxes.

                    The estimated $30.9 billion annual cost payed by citizens includes:

                    $22.8 billion for benefits and services to approximately 3.23 million illegal immigrants

                    $8.1 billion for services to about 1.15 million U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants

                    $7,074 per capita cost for California taxpayers

                    Then you lie and say they do not benefit, BS

                    These costs cover:

                    K–12 public education

                    Indigent medical care

                    Housing and nutrition assistance

                    In-state tuition at public colleges

                    Health coverage under Medi-Cal Other state-funded programs

                    For every $1 contributed, they receive approximately $3.69 in benefits.

                    27.1 profit each illegal immagrant makes…so who pay no taxes make 127% return just for being here illegally.

                    If this isn’t enough cities and counties are adding to the money given to illegal immigrants

                    Los Angeles County ~$6–8 billion Largest undocumented population in the U.S.
                    San Diego County ~$2–3 billion Border proximity, migrant services
                    Orange County ~$1.5–2 billion High housing and education costs
                    Santa Clara County ~$1–1.5 billion $8M earmarked for immigration services
                    San Francisco County ~$800M–$1 billion Sanctuary policies, public health access
                    Fresno County ~$500–700 million Agricultural labor hub
                    Riverside County ~$1–1.5 billion Growing migrant population
                    Santa Barbara County $105,000 (public allocation) Approved for Immigrant Legal Defense Center
                    Goleta (City of SB County) $100,000 (public allocation)
                    Additionally laws are created to benefit illegal immigrants

                    Senate Bill 946 (2018) – Safe Sidewalk Vending Act

                    Legalized sidewalk vending statewide

                    Decriminalized street vending—vendors can no longer be arrested or charged criminally for vending without a permitRequires cities and counties to regulate vending through civil citations, not criminal penalties

                    This disadvantages legal business and create a food and health safety epidemic

                    I think citizens have been neglected by representatives to advantage the illegal population. Citizen have empathy fatigue. Cities, Counties should not raise taxes and then give money away to a select group. It’s great they want to help but they should reach into their own pockets and pay…City of Santa Barbara contributed 500,000 with no accountability of the money. They should each pay 100,000 back into city funds, same goes for Goleta which contributed 100, 000 and the County of Santa Barbara…As stated before the State contributes 31 billion a year costing each tax payer $7,074 Annually and thus far 100 billion dollars. Wile illegal immigrants make a 27.1 profit for each dollar the might pay… This is abuse and neglect to citizens

                    • Where was the County’s letter to the State against high density housing and the threat it poses to citizens in communities ? Why was money not allocated for legal defense?

                    • SUN – point out exactly where I “lied.”

                      This time, try to complete a sentence without relying on AI and ChatGPT.

                      You really need to learn how to adult.

                    • Sac, you are foolish to think you don’t use AI…if you are so against AI you shouldn’t use this site or the internet which utilizes AI, nor your phone, drive a new car, finance, commerce, travel,, Healthcare, go to a grocery store or even buy from a street vendor, etc…AI is intertwined …

                      As for your lying, you’ve implied taxes which may or may not be paid by illegal immigrants covers the 31 billion annual cost for illegal immigration. It doesn’t even begin to cover 1/2. Look I get it, you want to support illegal immigration, what I am saying it’s not sustainable. I do support legal immigration because it is sustainable. People who attack just want to hide the math. This enormous expense is not sustainable. it’s causing a deficit. Hiding the math is not going to pay the bills nor is it going to help citizens. Illegal immigration is like trying to drive a car up hill on empty. At least with legal immigration the gas tank gets filled and you make it up and over the hill.

                    • SUN – sure I use AI, but I don’t use it for conversing with other people… that’s all you.

                      And seriously?

                      “As for your lying, you’ve implied taxes which may or may not be paid by illegal immigrants covers the 31 billion annual cost for illegal immigration.”

                      That’s not a lie. I never said it covers anything. All I said was that they pay close to 100 BILLION a year in taxes. That’s not a lie. That is a fact.

                      Also, 100 is more than 31, so you can figure that one out for yourself.

                      I’d say nice try, but it wasn’t. Ask Chat GPT why you’re wrong.

                    • Sac, “ Also, 100 is more than 31, so you can figure that one out for yourself.”

                      I say you you are lying and don’t understand math… yes 100 is greater than 31 BUT California only received 8.4 billion of the 100 billion you quoted, thereby not covering the cost and incurring 22.6 billion in cost. You should use AI to get your facts correct and stop your lying!

                    • SUN – you keep saying I’m “lying,” yet you can’t articulate what I said that was a lie. I have not said anything that is factually incorrect. Not one single thing.

                      I think it’s best you give it a rest. This is proven to be far too challenging for you.

                    • Sac

                      You just stated

                      “Also, 100 is more than 31, so you can figure that one out for yourself.”
                      Here you imply 100 covers the cost for 31 billion ( which is California cost) yet California only received 8.4 billion leaving a deficit of 22.6 billion….

                      “ SUN – you keep saying I’m “lying,” yet you can’t articulate what I said that was a lie. I have not said anything that is factually incorrect. Not one single thing.”

                      I just did, you just won’t admit it …you criticize people for supposedly lying…you look like a hypocrite.

                    • SUN – again, show me where I lied. Not “implied,” because I did nothing of the sort.

                      You really going to do this all day? You’re dead wrong and continuing this makes you look even less in command of facts (and reality) than you already seem, as you rely on AI to “argue” for you.

                      Saying 100 is more than 31 is a numerical fact. NOT. A. LIE.

                      Implying whatever you think I am is NOT. A. LIE. because I didn’t say anything other than that aforementioned fact.

                      You’ve lost. Give it a rest. You’re moving goalposts, making assumptions and misusing the term, “lie.” Over and done.

                    • SUN – giving you another chance here as you seem genuinely confused.

                      You said taxpayers (I’m assuming all, not just CA since you didn’t make the distinction and I’m not reading your computer generated arguments) pay 31 Billion. Again, 100 is more than 31.

                      Now, if you’re trying to say CA tax payers spent 31 billion on “illegal immigrants,” then you’re still way off. Just because CA only received 8.4 Billion (again, not delving into your Chat GPT bs), it does not mean undocumented workers aren’t paying their share unless you can prove that 22.6 billion from the 100 billion they pay (the majority being CA tax payers) isn’t going to CA in some form.

                      You’re mixing a lot of numbers with a lot of sources and clearly have no grasp of how this works, given your clear misunderstanding of how taxes work in their most simple sense.

                      Fact is, you don’t really understand the things CHAT GPT told you to copy and paste here.

                      Soooooo….. again, I’ve not lied at all. My statement about the 100 billion is a numerical fact. You cannot dispute that.

                      My statement about you figuring this out on your own is also not a lie. It’s a suggestion that you learn what you’re talking about here as opposed to just copying/pasting whatever the computer tells you as you misguidedly type prompts into Chat GPT.

                      Let’s call this one done. Please have a good day and please make an effort to think on your own. Do the research and articulate your own words and thoughts. You’ll be better informed if you do.

                • State & federal income tax is only a part of it. Every gallon of gas is taxed. Utilities are taxed, paid for by landlords and passed on to renters. Sales tax on food and clothing. Trying to reframe it the discussion limited to income tax is disingenuous.

              • I think they should go through the process like everyone else, not skip the line.. and pay federal and state taxes to support the system. As for Agriculture provide visas like any other profession, but they still have to follow the process like everyone else to get permanent status or citizenship.

                • SUN – ” and pay federal and state taxes to support the system”

                  THEY. DO. My God…. this is what I’ve been saying all along.

                  Also, you do realize that millions were “following the process like everyone else to get permanent status or citizenship” but Trump cancelled their visas and asylum claims making “doing it the right way” impossible.

                  Learn facts.

                  • The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022. They arrived with financial sponsors and were given “two-year permits” to live and work in the U.S.

                    • At Sac, I did not know this, my understanding was that if you were illegal you legally could not work and therefore were paid under the table. I did not know illegal immigrants could receive an Individual Taxpayer Identification . I would say that those who are e-verified and verified through finger prints should move through the process and be granted a work visa to ensure a sustainable system. At the same time resources need to be able be sustainable.

                      Number (ITIN) Here’s a breakdown of that $96.7 billion:
                      💰 Federal Contributions
                      $25.7 billion to Social Security
                      $6.4 billion to Medicare
                      $1.8 billion to Unemployment Insurance
                      $19.5 billion in federal income taxes
                      $6 billion in other federal taxes
                      🏘️ State & Local Contributions
                      $15.1 billion in sales and excise taxes
                      $10.4 billion in property taxes (paid directly or through rent)
                      $7.0 billion in personal and business income taxes
                      $4.8 billion in other state/local taxes
                      📍 Top States by Revenue from Undocumented Immigrants
                      State Tax Revenue (2022)
                      California $8.5 billion
                      Texas $4.9 billion
                      New York $3.1 billion
                      Florida $1.8 billion
                      Illinois $1.5 billion
                      New Jersey $1.3 billion
                      ITEP also found that undocumented immigrants paid $8,889 per person on average in taxes, and in 40 states, they paid a higher effective state/local tax rate than the top 1% of earners.

                      So this changes matters if illegal immigrants are paying this amount it ‘s a start. They should be granted a process for work visas with term limits by e- verified as to prevent abuse does not occur. Unfortunately, you will still have those who use stolen identity fingerprint , face recognition verification is essential.

                    • Yeah, kidnapping and deporting an academically successful 18 year old who has been here since he was a little kid and is a stand out soccer player beloved by his community really makes sense.

                • Please stop with the thoroughly ignorant and lazy-minded “skipping the line” canard. There is no “line” to skip.

                  It can take up to two years just to get a green card. Once that’s accomplished you wait five more years before you can apply for citizenship, unless you are married to a US citizen, then it’s only a three year wait. Then it’s anywhere from 9 months to a couple years before the swearing in ceremony. That’s just scratching the surface of the byzantine citizenship process, because all kinds of hiccups can occur along the way, especially if you’re also poor. You can save a lot of time by not doing the green card route, but if you have to work to support yourself while you wait, which almost all immigrants do, that’s not an option.

                  So it’s several years of working, waiting, navigating a challenging and unstable bureaucracy, hoping not to get sick, hoping not to get into a traffic accident, surviving skyrocketing rents, surviving xenophobia and bigotry, and trying in many cases to keep your family members healthy and your kids in school. Immigrants are the most resourceful and hardest working people in America, my friend. They actually DO make America a great country.

                  • At anon,
                    Working while waiting to become a legal citizen—or more accurately, while waiting for a green card or adjustment of status—can be perfectly legal if you have the proper authorization. But working without it can seriously jeopardize your immigration process.
                    Here’s how it breaks down:
                    ✅ Legal Work While Waiting
                    To work legally in the U.S. while your green card or citizenship application is pending, you need:
                    An Employment Authorization Document (EAD), also called a work permit
                    Or a visa that already allows employment, like H-1B or L-1
                    With an EAD, you can work for any employer, full-time or part-time, without restrictions2.
                    🚫 Risks of Unauthorized Work
                    If you work without a valid EAD or work visa:
                    Your green card or citizenship application could be denied
                    You might face deportation or removal proceedings
                    You could be barred from reentering the U.S. for years3
                    Even side gigs like selling on eBay or freelancing count as “work” in the eyes of immigration law.

                    • Oh yes google-AI, the sum total of your “research” on this topic, makes it sound sooo simple– geez-louise don’t be so clueless.

                      The lack of a guarantee and the built-in uncertainty was exactly my point, and why the “rules” are movable goalposts changing from admin to admin along with murky jurisdictions. The long periods of time all but guarantee complications of many kinds, and I gave several obvious examples, but there are many, many more.

  6. @ anon “ The lack of a guarantee and the built-in uncertainty was exactly my point”
    The point of entry, whether legal via a visa or illegal,, whether the visa was violated or any violation will cause the goal post to move. You are guaranteed denial if you enter the country illegally just like in any Country. The process is slow for a real purpose, to prevent a high influx which the economy can not sustain and to verify.

    The best way to improve the speed of the process is to enter the country legally, do not violate your visa and have a skill set in demand. You can’t blame a Country for prioritizing high in demand skills that will dramatically improve the economy. Every Country does this as they can’t afford to spend hundreds of billions .

    FYI, AI is used in every aspect, government, policy making, medicine, health care, finance, manufacturing, retail and e-com, transportation and logistics, education, entertainment, climate change solution, water management, research, … it’s endless and verifying on multiple levels is key.

    • The problem with AI, millions will lose there jobs…

      Example Microsoft laid off over 15,000 employees in 2025, including thousands of software engineers and game developers. Many of these employees had worked directly on building and training AI tools — After helping develop these systems, they were replaced by the very AI they helped create

    • “You are guaranteed denial if you enter the country illegally just like in any Country [sic].”

      That is demonstrably false in practice. There were no such guarantees for the are hundreds of thousands of people who entered the U.S. without a visa, or overstayed their temporary ones, who have stayed here for decades while they established careers and families. There are no guarantees, but there are plenty of Hogwarts-style moving staircases, and of course lots of vapid proclamations from those posturing, with abject hypocrisy in many cases, about the rule of law.

      Your advice on how to enter a country and your odd pivot to AI actually sounds like AI wrote them both for you. Relevance? Nevermind, I’m not really asking.

      I agree that deep-reaching and systemic immigration reform is sorely needed and decades late. The problem is that the GOP is more interested in campaigning and fundraising on the problem -often by the ginning up fear and hatred, e.g. “they’re eating the pets”- than they are in solving it, and when half your government acts that way, real change is next to impossible. Xenophobia is a freekin gold mine for the GOP.

  7. I think most people understand that ice is there to continue dividing us. Some outraged to different degrees, some think “as long as it’s criminals as promised” some just sure they won’t be targeted as they are “white.” We have to remember that it may be true now, at least as far as ice goes, but they will come for naturalized citizens and then born here citizens who don’t reflect the desired profile or who speak out against them, or whatever. Those camps will house others; LGBTQ+, Trans, anyone who criticizes this admin. Eventually, it will touch someone you love. They will be disappeared. This is a mukhabarat, a secret police. By dividing us, with all these gradients of BS, they are stronger. I think many people voted for this, thinking it would be a bit different, and that only some people who “deserved it” would be deported. And now they are shocked at what they see.
    This is not benign in any way. No one decent is going to win, no matter how hard they try to stay out of it. And by winning, I just mean surviving with one’s self-respect and a clean conscience, and leaving an acceptable world when one dies. People are already just trying to survive. Already we can see the parallels with 1930’s Europe. It’s not hyperbole. It’s happening. A just response to the ice threat would be a general strike state-wide. And try to stop othering your neighbors. We are all the same. Doesn’t matter the culture. We all bleed. We all feel grief. We all want a decent life. People have parents. They have kids. They have pets. They want homes and to live a satisfying and safe life. Etc. There are no “others”. There is no such thing.
    What is happening is an outrage. What kind of country have we become? They can disappear our neighbors, they can disappear people we speak to every day, they can disappear our loved ones. And many people are driven to arguing over whether or not these people deserve what happens to them. Please stop. No one deserves being sent to an American concentration camp, or a Salvadoran one. Or to a third country, like South Sudan. No one. People are owed due process.
    Just because some thug says they don’t need it, doesn’t change anything. And many people were given asylum here. They came for safety. We just take that away? Just yank it? We just say, suddenly, that’s over? Brutally, with a bang on the door in the middle of the night? Parents arrested? Kids sent to wherever? Pets left on the street? This is without honor and decency. I was educated in the California school system and this was never part of who we were.
    Even if the regime is acting like they run a police state, we are not there yet, but we are well on the way. Time to call their bluff. California supports a lot of the federal government. Yet Californians are living in fear and screaming at each other about whether Old Spanish Days culture is this or that. It’s exactly what maga wants. Most power is freely given away, in anticipation of what the regime wants. The regime wants us scared. They actually enjoy it. Let’s try not to fight amongst ourselves. We are so much stronger together. Read Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny for things to watch out for and to see what you can do.

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