Local immigrant advocacy organizations say they are seeing an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity across San Luis Obispo County.
805UndocuFund, a nonprofit that supports immigrant communities and tracks reported immigration enforcement activity, says it has received reports from multiple areas of the county in recent days.
“We’ve been receiving several reports from different cities in SLO County,” said Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of 805UndocuFund.
According to Hernandez, the organization has verified multiple ICE detentions since Friday in communities including San Miguel, Nipomo and Oceano. She said the nonprofit relies on eyewitness accounts and reports from community members to confirm incidents.
“It is an increase that we have seen this week, that we have not seen in many, many months prior,” Hernandez said.
Another local advocacy organization, Ice Out of SLO County, has also reported an increase in immigration enforcement activity in the area.
Both groups point to reports of a possible federal immigration enforcement effort known as “Operation Safe California.”
“There’s been widespread news of this, what is believed to be a 45-day operation known as Operation Safe California,” Hernandez said.
A report published by the Washington Examiner described the alleged operation as a month-and-a-half-long enforcement effort in which federal agents are directed to arrest undocumented immigrants they encounter, regardless of criminal history.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the report by stating that California would stand up for its communities and hold federal agents accountable.
Hernandez said recent enforcement actions are having a significant impact on local families.
“They are taking everyday community members who are here trying to provide better life for their families. That is the reality,” she said.
KSBY reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for confirmation of the reported operation. In a statement, the agency said:
“For operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.”
In a statement released Thursday, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg also addressed reports of recent ICE activity. Ortiz-Legg cited reports that the parent of a local middle school student had been detained by ICE agents.
Ortiz-Legg said her office was not provided information about the specific circumstances surrounding the detention, writing that “the lack of transparency creates unnecessary fear and uncertainty for all our community.”
According to Ice Out of SLO County, 218 people had been taken into ICE custody in San Luis Obispo County since at least early 2025, as of Saturday. 805UndocuFund reports that 1,270 people have been taken into ICE custody in neighboring Santa Barbara County during the same period.
Advocacy groups are encouraging families who may be impacted by immigration enforcement activity to seek legal assistance and community resources.
For access to some of those resources, click here.
