Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity—Salinas Street and Carpinteria Street

On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at approximately 7:17 a.m., officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department were dispatched to the area of Salinas Street and Carpinteria Street following a report of a large fight.

Upon arrival, officers determined that a large group of individuals were gathered in the area. The crowd was a combination of community members and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE), who were present at the location. The Santa Barbara Police Department had no prior knowledge that the ICE agents would be at that location or anywhere in the City of Santa Barbara today. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and the ICE Agents left the scene.

During the investigation, officers learned that one individual had allegedly been pushed by an ICE agent, and another individual had been sprayed with pepper spray prior to officers' arrival. Santa Barbara Police officers summoned Santa Barbara Fire Department personnel to the scene to provide medical assistance to the individual who had been exposed to pepper spray. Fire personnel rendered aid at the scene.

Officers took statements from involved community members regarding the events that occurred prior to police arrival and documented this incident in a report with the information provided to the officers on scene. Santa Barbara Police provided traffic control in the surrounding area to ensure public safety.

There were no arrests made by the Santa Barbara Police Department, and the department's role at the scene was limited to medical aid coordination, information gathering, and traffic management.

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