deportation

After a large gathering outside of the Cedar Rapids ICE office last month, more federal and local law enforcement officers guarded the office during appointments in September.

Después de que el gobierno de Trump pusiera fin a un programa migratorio para personas de países predominantemente hispanoparlantes, los empleados, padres y estudiantes se están adaptando a una nueva realidad, como muchos lugares de trabajo alrededor de la región.

An open letter signed by a majority of Kanas bishops encouraged Kansans to see immigrants as humans, not criminals. Meanwhile, the Kansas Legislature is pushing the governor to "fully cooperate" with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

After the Trump administration ended an immigration program for people from predominantly Spanish-speaking countries, the preschool's staff, parents and students are adjusting to a new normal—as are workplaces around the region.

The Clinton administration once used Matthew Morrison’s U.S. immigration case to help solidify peace in Northern Ireland. Decades after moving to St. Louis to find safety and build a family, Morrison is now fleeing this country out of fear.

The family says returning to Guatemala isn't an option — even if they're forced to. "We haven't left to go anywhere," the father said. "We can't because of fear."

President Trump's mass deportation efforts have led to the arrests of tens of thousands of immigrants, some of whom end up at the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri. Now some local activists are trying to provide comfort and assistance to detainees stuck in an unfamiliar place.

Immigrants, including unaccompanied children, have little legal options once they're targeted for deportation — and no universal right to a government-appointed attorney. Kansas City's immigration court currently has a backlog of more than 52,000 cases.

Immigrant detainees at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, have reported denied medical care, prolonged detention and unequal treatment. It's drawing serious scrutiny to the conditions in ICE custody, and the ACLU is calling for changes.

Businesses along Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, are taking a hit as customers stay home and cut back on spending. "I don’t know what will happen,” one business owner said. "It's scary."

Reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity at Kansas City immigration courts are causing some people to miss routine hearings out of fear, leading to orders for their deportation. Attorneys and advocates are trying to help.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is ramping up arrests nationwide and, for the first time, picking up noncitizens at federal immigration courts. Kansas City isn’t seeing as many arrests as other cities, but attorneys say “the chaos is the point and the cruelty is the point.”