Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) captured and detained a Watsonville man Wednesday morning around 4 a.m. while driving his children to daycare, according to information received from a Santa Cruz County Rapid Response call. It is also possible that his family had been followed previous to apprehension, said Sanctuary Santa Cruz member Ernestina Saldaña.
This action follows a Jan. 16 report from the San Francisco Chronicle stating ICE was planning raids sweeping Northern California in the following weeks to arrest 1,500 undocumented people.
The action was normal daily operation, said James Schwab, ICE San Francisco public affairs officer. Watsonville Police Department was notified at 3:45 a.m. that ICE was present, which is common practice, but was not involved in the actions. This is in accordance with Watsonville’s sanctuary city status, which prohibits local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE.
Community members suspicious of ICE activity should record or photograph actions and call Santa Cruz County Rapid Response at (831) 239-4289 with detailed information such as where activity is located, how many vehicles or officers are involved and what happened.
