A recent survey by the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce showed many local businesses are struggling due to immigration enforcement activity in the area.
"The Chamber is often looking at the economy from two angles. There are the workforce and customers visiting businesses. In this survey, we found that both are being affected," explained Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce President, Kristen Miller.
Of the 176 businesses that answered the survey, the results were striking, with nearly half saying their business has been directly affected and 16% saying they've seen significant impacts. When asked to comment, several restaurants and hotels declined to be interviewed, saying they feared ICE would target their business if they spoke on record.
Barista Taylor Goldstein says service industry workers from all backgrounds are on edge, "I mean, it's very scary," said Goldstein.
And that fear is leading to less work, the survey showed 20% of businesses reported losing 10-40 hours of work from employees. The businesses that participated in the survey were mostly in construction, retail, or hospitality. But the impacts could be felt in other areas, says Santa Barbara resident Dori Cajas.
"I was a teacher. And so many of the families that I worked with would be heavily impacted right now. And I know when children see their parents in fear, and not trusting their community anymore, it affects the whole family," explained Cajas.
The Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce represents 1,100 businesses in Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria.
"People's lives and their income, that's not political. And being part of a community that's not political," states Cajas.
The survey will remain active on the chamber's website until further notice as they continue to gather information to better understand the biggest challenges to local businesses.
