Dem Women of SB Host Forum on ICE Tactics and Community Response

Event aims to provide clarity, context, and constructive pathways for civic engagement amid ongoing deportation raids.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Next Monday, the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara will host a public forum titled "Fear by Design: ICE Tactics, Impact and What We Can Do About It" to address the ongoing attacks by Trump administration's immigration agents on local neighborhoods, families, and those bearing witness. The event will feature remarks from community leaders and small-group discussions to develop strategies for the community to respond.

Why it matters

The mass deportation campaign carried out by heavily armed, masked immigration agents has become a key policy of the Trump administration, with agents dispatched to Democratic cities to racially profile people and detain individuals regardless of immigration status. This has eroded trust in public safety and created an atmosphere of fear in local communities.

The details

The event, scheduled for Monday, March 2 at the SB Biergarten restaurant, will begin with remarks from Primitiva Hernandez of 805Undocufund on community support and rapid response networks, Julissa Pena of the Immigrant Legal Defense Center on legal insights and due process, and Supervisor Laura Capps on countywide policy and public safety perspectives. Attendees will then break into small groups to discuss the information and identify ways they can get involved to support their community.

  • The event is scheduled for Monday, March 2, 2026 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The players

Dem Women of SB

A local organization of Democratic women in Santa Barbara, California that is hosting the public forum.

Christy Stillwell

A Santa Barbara mental health professional and lead organizer of the event for Dem Women of SB.

Primitiva Hernandez

A representative from 805Undocufund who will discuss community support, rapid response networks, and local resources.

Julissa Pena

A representative from the Immigrant Legal Defense Center who will provide legal insights on enforcement practices, rights, and due process.

Laura Capps

A Santa Barbara County Supervisor who will provide a countywide policy and public safety perspective.

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What they’re saying

“I think that what we need right now is to understand the facts of what is happening, and then to really mobilize and know what we can do to really support our community and our neighbors.”

— Christy Stillwell, Lead Organizer, Dem Women of SB (Newsmakers TV)

“So the social lab will examine the federal immigration enforcement tactics…these highly visible raids, masked agents, questions about due process and reports of deadly arrests nationally. But really, we're going to be looking at how this affects our local community and how it's eroding trust in public safety locally.”

— Christy Stillwell, Lead Organizer, Dem Women of SB (Newsmakers TV)

What’s next

The event organizers hope the forum will provide attendees with concrete actions they can take to support their community and respond to the ongoing deportation raids.

The takeaway

This forum represents a community-driven effort to address the fear and erosion of trust caused by the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, and to empower local residents to take constructive steps to protect their neighbors and uphold democratic values.