ICE eyes KC warehouse as leaders decry possible detention facility
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Federal immigration officials are eyeing a site in south Kansas City for what local leaders fear could become one of the largest ICE detention centers in the country.
Why it matters: Cities across the U.S. are wrestling with the presence of federal officials, including ICE, and tensions are high between local and federal authorities.
- Sightings of ICE vehicles and unannounced enforcement actions have fueled concern in Kansas City.
Driving the news: Rumors of a KC-based facility circulated earlier this week. Then on Thursday, a local lawmaker posted a video of ICE agents outside of an area warehouse, and Axios received confirmation that the agency is expanding detention space.
Catch up quick: Jackson County Chairman Manuel Abarca on Thursday posted a video on X showing him confronting two ICE officers in a parking lot near 150 Highway and Botts Road.
- Abarca says officials there told him they were looking at the site for a 7,500-bed facility.
- KSHB and FOX4 also reported that ICE agents were seen outside the property.
An ICE spokesperson tells Axios the agency is "actively working to expand detention space," adding that "these will not be warehouses — they will be very well structured detention facilities."
- "We have no new detention centers to announce at this time," the spokesperson added.
Reality check: Federal officials haven't provided a timeline or confirmed plans for a Kansas City site. But ICE's broader push to expand detention space, backed by new funding, is coming to multiple cities, including KC, the Washington Post reports.
The latest: Kansas City Council passed an ordinance after ICE's warehouse visit barring the facility from receiving the local permits, licenses or approvals needed to operate, the Kansas City Star reported.
What they're saying: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Missouri) and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas' office have both stated having an ICE detention center would be a "stain" on the city, KCTV reported.
- "We cannot sit ideally (sic) by and let things happen in our community," Abarca said in his post.
Zoom in: The location in question — an empty warehouse on a 935,935-square-foot lot at 4001 E. 149th St. — was listed in November as vacant, per real estate website Crexi.
- Property records indicate the facility is still on the market.
- Port KC, which sold the property to Platform Ventures for development in 2022, said in a statement yesterday that the deal was to "bring logistics and manufacturing jobs" and that it would never provide support for a project outside of its mission.
Between the lines: Kansas City's processing center would be among DHS's largest, the Washington Post reports.
- DHS called for "mega" processing centers in a $30 million design contract awarded in November.
The bottom line: While ICE hasn't shared details on a possible Kansas City detention center, signs of expansion are already fueling anxiety and political pushback across the city.
This story has been updated to include details about the Kansas City Council.