Thousands of immigrants arrested by federal authorities could be incarcerated in Kansas City, if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security proceeds with its plans to build a detention center here.
Kansas City officials confirmed Thursday that the department is seeking to purchase an industrial building, and said federal agents with DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement toured a warehouse in south Kansas City.
“There is a huge fear in the community that at this point no one is safe,” said Rekha Sharma-Crawford, a Kansas City immigration attorney.
The Washington Post reported last month that Kansas City was one planned location for an ICE facility that could hold between 5,000 and 10,000 detainees. But any such detention center could also face legal challenges, according to Sharma-Crawford.
“When you look at a over 900,000 square foot facility, how do you make that humane?” Sharma-Crawford said. “And that's going to be a question, I think, that local leaders are going to have to dive into.”
The Kansas City Council passed an ordinance Thursday placing a five-year moratorium on permits for non-city detention centers.
“Kansas City will leverage every legal tool available to oppose ICE mass detention centers in the area,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on Instagram before the meeting.
- Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star government reporter
- Rekha Sharma-Crawford, immigration attorney in Kansas City.
