"This makes Santa Maria the epicenter of what we have been seeing over the holiday break. It's devastating because this is happening during the holiday season when people are supposed to be with their loved ones. Children are returning home to empty houses, [elderly people] are starting to isolate themselves and workers are staying home out of fear. We cannot live in terror."
"What we are witnessing is the indiscriminate racial profiling of communities of color, Families are being ripped apart, workers are disappearing from job sites, and fear is being used as a weapon. The harm will have devastating consequences for people's well-being and for the economic stability of our region and we must take action today."
Federal immigration agents carried out a wave of year-end raids across the Central Coast that resulted in 147 people being apprehended. Agents removed people from homes, job sites, businesses and streets, with at least 87 taken in Santa Maria over several days. The operations caused fear and economic disruption as children returned to empty houses, elderly residents began isolating and workers stayed home. The raids primarily targeted working-class towns with predominantly Latino populations. Community leaders characterized the actions as racial profiling, warned of long-term harm to well-being and regional economic stability, and called for action.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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