A year-end wave of immigration raids in the Central Coast led to the apprehension of 147 people, sparking outrage from elected officials and immigrant-rights groups. Federal immigration agents took people from their homes, job sites, businesses and on the streets as they ran errands, Santa Maria City Councilmember Gloria Soto said during a Friday morning news conference. “This makes Santa Maria the epicenter of what we have been seeing over the holiday break,” she said. The following day, 15 people in Lompoc, eight in Santa Maria and two in Santa Barbara were taken. He said he has received calls from federal immigration agents telling him they know where he lives and that they were coming for his son.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 03, 2026 04:41 UTC