Manny Abarca IV

Despite cries that it was “performative politics,” Chair Manny Abarca said the plan puts the county on record as opposing “the caging of people.” A second measure that would have barred federal immigration agents from wearing masks was held for legal concerns.

After being charged in Hutchinson, Kansas with harassment, the Johnson County district attorney asked a judge to revoke his bond. “A defendant on bond who reoffends against the same victim threatens public safety,” the motion said.

Platform Ventures, owned by Ryan and Terry Anderson, pitched a warehouse development as a job creator for south Kansas City. Port KC says the company went behind its back to strike a deal with ICE, which would undermine job growth in the area.

The Jackson County Legislature is considering requiring federal officers to keep their faces and badges visible while conducting immigration enforcement actions. The Department of Homeland Security insists masking protects federal law enforcement from doxing and physical attacks.

Sheriff Darryl Forte said lawmakers have a duty to prioritize community concerns over politics. Jackson County Legislative Chair Manny Abarca, who introduced the measure to ban masks, countered that accountability “shouldn’t be a problem for good cops.”

Abarca has been charged in Hutchinson, Kansas in addition to charges in Kansas City and Johnson County.

On Thursday morning, officials from the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement toured a warehouse in south Kansas City with aims to hold detainees there. By the afternoon, city lawmakers put in place a measure to stop such detention centers from being approved.

Gail McCann Beatty was removed from office in November after a county-wide vote to make her position elected, rather than appointed. In a lawsuit, she claims her firing was retaliatory.

LeVota succeeds Frank White Jr., who was recalled by voters on Sept. 30. LeVota will serve until January 2027, which is the remainder of White's term. He used to work in the county prosecutor's office.

Phil LeVota, DaRon McGee and Dan Tarwater are the three biggest names being quietly discussed to potentially replace Frank White Jr. if he’s recalled. Here’s how the process would work.

Legislators originally approved the recall vote for August 26, but the Jackson County and Kansas City election boards said they could not possibly meet legal balloting requirements in that short timeframe.

An immigration advocacy group says the raids were carried out by Homeland Security Investigation agents about midday on Wednesday at El Toro Loco restaurants in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas.