SOLANA BEACH — A local grassroots organization formed to support families affected by and in fear of immigration enforcement has expanded to neighboring cities, with more residents stepping up to support their community.
Somos TIAS (Take Inspired Action Siempre) started with a group of around 12 Solana Beach residents, and has since grown to include over 90 members with additional chapters in Encinitas and Escondido.
The group’s work began in January after residents noted an increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in the historic neighborhood of La Colonia de Eden Gardens, with multiple individuals detained at local apartments and restaurants.
The threat of enforcement and deportation prevented some families from going about their regular business, including trips to the grocery store, doctor’s office, and the park and beach. Other people quit their jobs for fear of being taken from their families while at work.
While the Trump administration has stated that they are focused on deporting violent criminals, many of the individuals being targeted have been undocumented people with no apparent criminal record.
“Everyone got so scared that nobody wanted to go to school. They didn’t want to go to the store, which is around the corner. I could feel the fear of my people,” said Ana Escamilla, a lifelong Solana Beach resident and one of the founding members of Somos TIAS.
Escamilla said she immediately reached out to resident and organizer Lisa Montes to see what could be done to help people. They determined that food was the most immediate need for those too scared to leave their homes.
“We do this because it’s a humanitarian need and we have big hearts. We don’t care if they’re undocumented — if somebody’s in need and doesn’t have something to eat, we as humans should be helping,” Montes said.
The group initially focused mainly on delivering food and other essentials to residents who were scared to leave their homes to go grocery shopping. Boxes delivered to families contain staples like rice, beans, tortillas, cooking oil, milk, and, if needed, baby essentials like diapers.
Now, volunteers are also conducting patrols to keep an eye out for ICE vehicles, leading Know Your Rights workshops, observing federal immigration courts on a weekly basis, communicating with those in detention, and helping families create emergency plans in case someone is detained.
Somos TIAS relies on donations from the community to provide services and has raised over $17,000 since January. Businesses have also donated various foods, beverages, and supplies in bulk for families.
Their goal is to raise $20,000 by the end of the year.
“It truly is a collaboration of Somos TIAS members who donate and then the businesses that help us out,” Montes said.
Somos TIAS also try to add something extra each month in the boxes, such as children’s books, school supplies, holiday items, or kits with cosmetics like nail polish.
Kathy Faller, another member of Somos TIAS, said they are also trying to anticipate future needs that may arise for local families. For example, Somos TIAS is working on an initiative to help eligible people apply for and obtain passports.
“We found out that in doing the emergency planning that the kids are U.S. citizens, but they don’t have passports,” Faller said. “If a dad’s been deported, you want those kids to be able to see the dad, and they need a passport to be able to do that.”
TIAS members are all volunteers, with some of them dedicating multiple hours of work every day.
Members have also been involved in advocating for change on the city level, in both Encinitas and Solana Beach, following recent immigration arrests near an Encinitas elementary school last month.
On Aug. 20, a man was arrested by ICE agents at an intersection about a block from Park Dale Lane Elementary School, in front of his wife and child. Many families were dropping off students at that time, and also witnessed the arrest.
Escamilla said the incident heavily affected the community in and outside of Solana Beach, spurring fears about further ICE enforcement near schools. Somos TIAS members wanted to do what they could to support the community.
“We were hurting that day,” Escamilla said of the incident.
In response, Somos TIAS added a chapter in Encinitas with several local members focused on supporting families, many of whom demanded action from the Encinitas City Council at a meeting the same day as the ICE arrest.
Somos TIAS members were also on the scene a couple of days later when ICE detained two men working for a landscaping company at the same intersection near Park Dale Lane Elementary.
On Sept. 3, the Solana Beach City Council also discussed the impact of these arrests on the community, with several members of Somos TIAS speaking at the meeting.
The council said they would be interested in bringing back a resolution outlining support for the immigrant community and condemning inhumane treatment from ICE, including arrests at and in the vicinity of schools.
The council committed to sharing information in multiple languages for residents about their rights.
“Many of us fear it’s only a matter of time before we see these same activities at Solana Beach schools. We’ve already seen them in other locations in our city. These activities have raised legitimate fears, not only among our immigrant community, but among all of us who care about public safety, about government transparency, about human dignity and due process,” said Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner.
Several speakers urged the city to establish a safe perimeter around local schools and to collaborate with community members in La Colonia so they feel secure at public events in the area.
“I would hate to see people missing out on Dia de los Muertos, movie nights, all those things … because they’re scared,” said Solana Beach resident and Somos TIAS member Susanna Arnold.
When it comes to safety zones, some council members said they didn’t want to make promises the city couldn’t keep, or inadvertently make the city a target.
City Attorney Johanna Canlas confirmed that while ICE agents need a judicial warrant to conduct enforcement on private property, such as school buildings, public areas like streets are technically fair game.
“If I could build a force field around our city to protect our residents, I would. If I could overrule some of the recent actions of ICE and immigration authorities, I would,” said an emotional Councilmember Jewel Edson.
Capt. Shane Watts of the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station also answered questions at the meeting. He clarified that the Sheriff’s Department is not made aware of enforcement actions before they happen, and that local law enforcement is unable to obstruct federal officers.
However, he said that if ICE officers are using excessive force, local deputies have a duty to intervene.
“Just like if one of my deputies was engaged in excessive force, I expect — I demand — that another deputy intervene and take over that arrest and remove the other person from the situation,” Watts said.
Montes noted that it’s not just undocumented people who are scared, but those from Mexican families who immigrated to La Colonia generations ago. While she is a U.S. citizen, Montes said she has been carrying her passport around out of fear of being racially profiled.
Representatives from the offices of Rep. Mike Levin, Sen. Catherine Blakespear, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, and Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer also shared messages at the meeting about the work being done on the federal and state levels to protect the rights of immigrant families.
Boerner’s office said there are multiple bills currently moving through the state legislature, including:
- SB 805, requiring officers to display identifying information on their uniforms and agencies to maintain and post a visible policy about identification,
- SB 627, regulating the allowed uses of face coverings by peace officers while conducting enforcement,
- SB 81, prohibiting health care providers from allowing immigration enforcement into non-public areas of their facilities without a valid judicial warrant or court order,
- SB 48, prohibiting staff at local educational agencies from allowing immigration enforcement into school sites or disclosing personal information about families to officers with a valid judicial warrant or court order.
Councilmember Kristi Becker thanked Somos TIAS for their work in supporting the community and said she would like to see the city step up to help as well.
“I really want to express gratitude to all of the dedicated servants and residents that just always do the right thing time and time again. You’re always stepping up for all the important issues, you’ve really been a lifeline to so many families and it’s critical right now,” Becker said.
