SLO County leaders can’t ignore ICE shooting. Now is the time for local action | Opinion

On Jan. 7, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Good was serving as an ICE observer, monitoring federal activity in her neighborhood. Video evidence indicates the incident occurred when Good attempted to leave the scene. She died from one or more gunshot wounds to the head.

This heinous killing happened in a state with a justice system perfectly capable of competently and honestly investigating this as a crime. Yet Minnesota investigators are being denied access to evidence and told the FBI will not participate in a joint probe.

The Trump Administration is sealing off the investigation and silencing anyone trying to document what actually happened. Americans’ personal safety and constitutional rights are under direct threat from our own national government.

SLO County faces same threat

According to data collected by 805 UndocuFund, ICE has taken some 94 people into custody from SLO County since January 2025, with the most aggressive spate of kidnappings occurring at the height of the recent holiday season. These enforcement actions have occurred in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Nipomo, targeting people in apartment parking lots, at workplaces and even inside the SLO County Jail lobby.

Community members report children left without parents, families losing breadwinners and documented residents afraid to leave their homes. 805 UndocuFund calls this “a direct attack on our communities.” We agree.

Despite these documented impacts, the county has not declared an emergency or conducted a single, meaningful public hearing about the harmful local impacts of federal immigration enforcement.

The Sheriff’s Office has scheduled a TRUTH Act Forum for Jan. 27 — an annual public event required by state law (SB 54) to provide transparency about any Sheriff’s Office cooperation with ICE.

We insist this “forum” must serve a purpose far beyond “checking a box” in order for the sheriff to claim minimal compliance with SB 54. Rather, this forum must provide full and complete accountability for all ICE interactions at the jail and in our community.

Sheriff’s Office shares ICE video

SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson has claimed his department is not cooperating with ICE, despite the department having distributed an ICE-produced video on its tax-funded social media, apparently trying to shame protesters at the SLO County Jail, and threatening to arrest them if they return. Clearly, the sheriff’s words ring hollow.

We respectfully call on the sheriff to publicly admit his department made a mistake by 1) accepting the ICE-made video and 2) publishing it on the department’s social media.

Apologize for releasing the video and continuing to insist his department is not cooperating with ICE, when in truth it is.

Support any effort by the SLO County Board of Supervisors to declare “ICE-free zones” on county-owned buildings and property.

Declaration of emergency

We respectfully call on the Board of Supervisors to declare a public emergency to recognize the very real threat to the safety and constitutional rights of SLO County residents by ICE activity in our county.

Adopt an ordinance that would bar federal immigration agents from entering non-public areas of SLO County property without a judicial warrant, including jail facilities, probation offices, parking lots and other restricted spaces where residents might seek services or attend mandated appointments.

(Such an ordinance would be similar to one adopted by the County of San Mateo, which restricts federal immigration agents’ access to county buildings and facilities, formalizes quarterly reporting by the Sheriff’s Office and the Probation Department, and sharpens prohibitions on using local personnel, equipment, or funds to assist ICE except in cases explicitly required under state or federal law.)

Ensure the TRUTH Act Forum scheduled for Jan. 27 provides complete transparency, allows maximum public input and clarifies the sheriff’s role and cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Minneapolis demonstrates the potential consequences of inaction. Local government has a responsibility to protect all residents within its jurisdiction — a responsibility that does not end at federal boundaries. We urge the Board of Supervisors to meet this moment with the leadership our community deserves.

Cambria Indivisible

Estero Bay Indivisible

Avila Beach Indivisible

Indivisible Nipomo

Indivisible North SLO County

Indivisible San Luis Obispo County

Indivisible SLO County Rapid Response

SLO 50501

SLO County Democratic Party

Atascadero Democratic Club

Cuesta College Democratic Club

Cal Poly Democratic Club

El Moro Democratic Club

Paso Robles Democratic Club

South County Democratic Club of SLO County