WATSONVILLE — A Watsonville resident was reportedly arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at approximately noon Tuesday, according to Your Allied Rapid Response Santa Cruz County, a grassroots organization that monitors and reports suspected ICE activity in Santa Cruz County.
Dave Wilson, a spokesperson for the organization, declined to share details of the person who was arrested or where it took place but confirmed that it did occur in Watsonville and that it did not appear to be part of an immigration raid.
“ICE appeared to be targeting one particular individual,” he said. “This did not have the appearance of being a sweep.”
Wilson said the report came after a family member of the detainee called Your Allied Rapid Response’s hotline to report the arrest, and legal observers were dispatched to the scene to confirm the presence of immigration enforcement activity. The incident was posted to the organization’s Facebook page at approximately 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Your Allied Rapid Response is declining to share more details regarding the activity as it is working with the family to connect them to resources.
“We don’t want to bring anything public that they don’t want to bring public,” he said.
The arrest is believed to be the first case of reported ICE activity in Watsonville since Donald Trump was inaugurated to his second term Jan. 20, following a campaign where he pledged to carry out what he called “the largest deportation program in American history,” resulting in an increase in ICE arrests, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Prior to the inauguration, the Watsonville City Council unanimously voted to reaffirm its status as a sanctuary city. Police Chief Jorge Zamora said his department was in compliance with the California Values Act, which prevents local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, detain or arrest people based on their immigration status. He also said the department would only work with ICE if ordered by the courts to do so.
Wilson said a similar arrest was reported in North Santa Cruz County a month ago, but Your Allied Rapid Response was not notified until later. A Salvadoran man was arrested in Watsonville during Trump’s first presidency in 2018.
The arrested individual would likely be detained in a holding facility until they are brought to an immigration court to determine whether they would be deported, Wilson said. As the detainee would not have access to free legal counsel, Your Allied Rapid Response said it will work with other agencies to secure legal representation.
The organization is also working to provide resources for the family.
“If this person was a breadwinner, a lot of times people see their income go down 40 to 60%,” said Wilson. “It’s important to connect the family with resources that we have available to people from food banks to rent assistance to paying for PG&E. This can be a very traumatic thing. If people need it, we try to connect them with counseling and therapy, especially if there’s children who were impacted, which in a lot of cases, there are.”
With this reported activity, Wilson said Your Allied Rapid Response is advising people to not answer the door to ICE agents unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. This, he said, is especially pertinent with the rise of people posing as ICE agents.
“An essential thing in these times when we know ICE has been in our county is beware of copycats and do not open your door for anyone who isn’t showing you a warrant signed by a judge,” he said.
The organization is also encouraging people to call its hotline at 831-239-4289 if they suspect ICE activity in their region. The hotline is available in both Spanish and English.