“The actions we are seeing in Minneapolis risk further eroding public trust nationwide,” stated Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon in a written response to the two fatal shootings at the hands of federal immigration officers in the past month.
Santa Barbara, she said, is hardly exempt. “Even when incidents occur elsewhere, the reverberations are felt locally in public expectations, officer morale, and the daily interactions between police and the community,” Gordon said. “These challenges extend beyond the profession for many of our officers and professional staff, as a significant number grew up in and remain deeply connected to the immigrant community,” she said. “The broader climate affects them not only as public servants but as neighbors, family members, and community members themselves.”
Gordon stressed, “We do not enforce immigration law, and our focus remains on public safety.”
She described free speech and freedom of assembly as “fundamental to a healthy democracy,” while adding that “violence in any form is unacceptable.”
Acknowledging that federal immigration actions have targeted people based on ethnic origin, she stated, “No one should ever be targeted based on skin color.”
In response to the shootings, more specifically, Gordon said, “It’s essential there be a full thorough and transparent investigation to determine what exactly happened. Clear facts matter for accountability, for public confidence, and for the integrity of the process.” Police leaders nationwide, she said, are emphasizing the same points.
