A father of five living in Santa Maria, California was detained by ICE agents on October 5, 2026, after being stopped near Allan Hancock College, where his daughter Abby is a student. Abby said agents followed their vehicle, forced her to hang up the phone, and asked for identification before taking her father into custody, later saying, 'My dad was kidnapped by ICE today.' According to Immigrant Legal Defense Center Executive Director Julissa Pena, he has lived in the U.S. since 2004, worked in local agricultural fields for over a decade, had no criminal record, and is raising five children, including two he adopted after their mother died; he also co-owned a father-daughter business called Carnitas El Pri. Pena said the nonprofit would 'fight for this father's freedom,' and his family launched a fundraiser seeking legal help. College officials said they had no advance notice of the arrest, which occurred amid a broader ICE operation across Santa Maria and Guadalupe that day resulting in at least 17 arrests at a jail, DMV office, health center, and market, prompting condemnation from local officials including state Senate leader Monique Limon.