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Federal immigration agents conducted enforcement operations at the Los Brios housing development off Agua Fría Street and at other Santa Fe construction sites on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Santa Fe County officials later told KOAT that at least seven workers were arrested across three or four sites. The arrests have not been matched by a public ICE roster, and the agencies have not released individual immigration statuses, charges, detention locations or case outcomes.
How many people were arrested at the Santa Fe construction sites?
The best-supported public figure is at least seven workers, based on information Santa Fe County officials gave KOAT. That number covers three or four construction sites in Santa Fe, not only the Los Brios development. Earlier reporting from Searchlight New Mexico described “several people” being arrested but did not have an official count.
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Because neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security had published a roster in the available coverage, the total should be treated as a minimum rather than a final tally. Names, immigration statuses, alleged violations and later court or removal proceedings remain unconfirmed publicly.
What happened at Los Brios?
Agents arrived at the Los Brios housing development on Santa Fe’s south side, off Agua Fría Street, at about 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 13. Video showed men being led away in handcuffs by officers wearing vests marked ICE and ERO, the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.
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Searchlight New Mexico initially reported the arrests while noting that ICE and DHS had not answered requests for confirmation. KOAT’s later account, citing county officials, placed the Los Brios activity within a broader operation involving several Santa Fe construction locations.
Was Los Brios part of a larger ICE sweep?
Available reporting indicates that the Santa Fe arrests were part of wider enforcement activity rather than an isolated action at one development. KOAT reported operations at three or four Santa Fe construction sites, while builders described activity affecting sites in the Albuquerque metropolitan area as well.
Twilight Homes owner Vincent Pizzonia said, “It’s not just us,” naming building sites in Los Lunas, Rio Rancho and Albuquerque as well as Santa Fe. Searchlight’s report also cited attorneys and advocates who said at least 15 people had been arrested during an August surge lasting roughly a week. That August figure came from advocacy and legal sources, not an official ICE statewide total, and should not be added to the Oct. 13 count.
Did ICE confirm the arrests?
No public ICE confirmation or case-by-case list was included in the initial reports. The available accounts identify the agency markings seen on video and quote local officials, but they do not provide an ICE statement identifying the people arrested or explaining the legal basis for each arrest.
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This distinction matters: a video can document that agents detained people, while only agency records or court documents can establish names, charges, immigration classifications and outcomes. Those details were still unavailable in the reporting reviewed for this article.
How did Santa Fe residents and the building industry respond?
Rapid-response volunteers
Santa Fe Rapid Response, a civilian volunteer network, sent teams around the city, warned construction workers and nearby schools, and said volunteers pressured agents to leave another site before arrests occurred. Member Sharon Argenbright said the group was receiving more messages and sightings than she had ever seen.
Gina Auz, president of the Latino Small Business Association, filmed the Los Brios arrests. Diario Migrante reported that the video had surpassed 400,000 Facebook views. Auz said immigrant families in Santa Fe did not have help, reflecting the concern expressed by community organizers rather than an official assessment of every family’s situation.
Attendance and project disruption
Builders and the New Mexico Home Builders Association said fear was affecting attendance and slowing projects, including among workers who may have legal status. KOAT quoted association CEO Miles Conway saying more than 30 percent of New Mexico’s construction workforce is foreign-born. Conway described workers staying away from job sites, supply houses and local businesses.
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Those comments describe reported economic and workplace effects; they do not establish how many workers missed work or how long any individual project was delayed.
What are Santa Fe’s new restrictions on ICE staging?
Santa Fe County adopted an ordinance on Sept. 30 barring ICE staging on county property. The city of Santa Fe approved a similar ordinance the next day. KOAT reported that both measures had 90 days to take full effect.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe ordinances address use of local government property. They do not, by themselves, create a public list of federal arrests, determine immigration cases or prevent federal agents from operating under federal authority in other locations. Their practical effect depends on implementation details and the property involved.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is still unknown about the workers?
- The identities and hometowns of the people arrested.
- Each person’s immigration status or whether a person had a pending application or prior order.
- The specific allegations, warrants or administrative documents involved in each detention.
- Where the workers were taken and whether anyone was released, transferred or brought before an immigration court.
- The final number of arrests across all Santa Fe sites.
Until ICE, DHS, court records or attorneys representing the workers provide those details, claims about individual outcomes should be treated as unverified.
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How should contractors and families interpret safety concerns now?
The reports show heightened enforcement activity and community concern, but they do not establish that every Santa Fe construction site is under investigation or that a particular worker will be arrested. Contractors should rely on current notices from their own counsel, worker representatives and local authorities rather than rumors circulating online.
Families seeking information about a specific detainee will generally need the person’s full legal name and date of birth and should consult a qualified immigration attorney or accredited legal-services provider. Public reporting does not substitute for individualized legal advice, and an arrest alone does not establish guilt or determine the eventual immigration outcome.
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When did the Santa Fe construction-site arrests happen?
The reported Los Brios operation took place Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, with agents arriving at about 9:30 a.m. Follow-up reporting placed activity that day at several Santa Fe construction sites.
Does the seven-person figure include every arrest in New Mexico?
No. The figure is a minimum reported by Santa Fe County officials for three or four Santa Fe sites. Separate reports about Albuquerque-area activity and an earlier August surge are not part of that confirmed minimum.
Where can relatives look for a detained worker?
Relatives should contact an immigration attorney or an accredited nonprofit legal-services provider and have the person’s full legal name and date of birth available. The public reports did not identify detention facilities, so a news account cannot confirm an individual’s location.
Do Santa Fe’s ordinances stop federal agents from making arrests?
The ordinances restrict ICE staging on city or county property once they take effect. They do not decide immigration cases or eliminate federal enforcement authority in other locations.
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