[Updated: Tue.., Jan. 27, 2026, 6:05pm]
In separate written statements, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown and Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon both reflected on the two killings that took place in the past month at the hands of federal immigration officers dispatched to the streets of Minneapolis.
“The actions we are seeing in Minneapolis risk further eroding public trust nationwide,” stated Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon in a written statement.
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.
Sheriff Brown’s statements partially overlapped with Gordon’s, though mostly on the need for a comprehensive, objective, impartial investigation into the circumstances of the shootings. “After those investigations are finalized, they need to be thoughtfully reviewed and acted upon if changes in policy, training, tactics and/or behavior could prevent similar occurrences in the future.”
In the meantime, Brown expressed concern that “inaccurate and provocative statements from leaders on both sides of the aisle” might exacerbate the level of polarization, thus making “the goal of achieving comprehensive bipartisan supported immigration reform even more elusive.” Brown expressed sadness that “we’ve come to a point where many are treating those with opposing views as enemies,” rather than as friends, neighbors, and members of the same community. “Those in positions of power and influence need to understand that some moments in life call for measured, or even unuttered, thoughts.”
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include Sheriff Bill Brown’s statement.
You must be logged in to post a comment.