Santa Barbara City Council, Police Deal with Fallout of ICE Enforcement

A City Council discussion about the city’s response to federal immigration enforcement — which included a statement from Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon reaffirming the department’s priority for community policing  — also served to highlight how the presence of aggressive ICE enforcement in Santa Barbara has eroded the trust between police, city officials, and the community.

A report prepared by the city administrator’s office for Tuesday’s hearing said federal immigration enforcement has caused “significant disruption” in the city, and ICE detainment of community members in public spaces, at businesses, and near schools has created a sense of “instability, chaos, and fear.”

In the past six weeks, there have been multiple instances of ICE officers pepper-spraying and physically pushing community members who showed up to document immigration enforcement activity

Just a few hours before the March 10 meeting, another incident near the Santa Barbara County Jail added even more fuel to the fire. During public comment, Rapid Response Network volunteers recounted the scene where ICE agents chased, tackled, and allegedly beat a man who had to be hospitalized due to his injuries.

“I am beyond furious,” said Ana Garcia, a community organizer with SBResiste who was among a number of immigrant rights advocates at the meeting. “An ICE operation left a man injured and bleeding with a serious injury to his mouth. …He is now in the hospital and being prevented from seeing his family.” She credited city officials for having good faith conversations with community defense organizations, but warned that “vague policies” would only invite more chaos.

Ian Paige, an organizer with Indivisible Santa Barbara said,“I do not expect the SBPD to interfere or impede the lawful action of ICE. However, when an ICE agent — without legal justification — attacks a member of the public, can our SBPD stand by and do nothing?”

Before reading a prepared statement, Chief Gordon expressed her support for the community members affected by federal immigration enforcement, saying that “no one should be targeted based on the color of their skin.”

“The Santa Barbara Police Department does not engage in immigration enforcement,” Gordon continued. “Our officers are trained to respond with restraint, empathy, and a commitment to keeping the peace.”

She said the SBPD fully supports the public’s First Amendment rights, and local law enforcement remains “dedicated to de-escalation” and ensuring that all community members feel safe reporting a crime — regardless of immigration status.

Senior Assistant to the City Administrator Barbara Andersen said the city and police department would not assist or share information with federal agencies, but there were still federal statutes that criminalized other actions that could be interpreted as obstruction with federal operations. 

What the city could do is ensure there are protocols in place for large public gatherings, work with Rapid Response groups to disseminate verified information, and define city employees’ roles when faced with federal agents on city property.

Chief Gordon explained that federal agencies hold much of the power, and SBPD cannot cite or detain agents who will not cooperate. “We can’t compel them to actually cooperate with us in any way,” Gordon said. 

City Attorney John Doimas said the recent actions of ICE and Border Patrol in Minnesota show just how much “real broad power” the federal government has given to federal agents working in immigration enforcement.

“They were detaining people. They shot two people,” Doimas said. “It goes to show the power that the federal government has in its jurisdiction.”

The city council did not take official action regarding the resolution, but in a unanimous vote the council continued the discussion to allow for city staff to work with immigrant support groups and return to a future hearing. The council also directed city staff to return with an audit of the city’s automated license plate reading contracts, to ensure no information was being accessed to assist with immigration enforcement.

Councilmember Mike Jordan did not take part in the votes. As the rest of the council gave final comments at the end of a six-hour hearing, Councilmember Jordan abruptly walked out of the room. Jordan offered no explanation as to why he left the hearing.