What we know about KC area El Toro Loco restaurants, where ICE agents arrested 11
Federal immigration agents detained at least 11 people from Mexican restaurants in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas.
The raids occurred late Wednesday morning at El Toro Loco Lenexa and El Toro Loco Legends.
Both LLCs are registered to Alfonso Herrera Hernandez, who has a Memphis area address.
Herrera Hernandez told The Star on Wednesday afternoon that the raids, “they’re really bad, man.” He declined to speak further until he consulted with a lawyer.
El Toro Loco was the subject of a 2023 federal lawsuit, which alleged the restaurant did not pay minimum and overtime wages to staff. Herrera Hernandez, general manager Eugenio Yanez and location manager Yareli Perez settled in 2024 for an unspecified amount, which included legal fees.
Videos show agents with Homeland Security Investigations show agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arrested at least 12 people — seven in Kansas City, Kansas, and at least four in Lenexa.
El Toro Loco Lenexa, located off of Highway 10 in Lenexa, has recently been a target of ICE activity. The address is 10088 Woodland Road.
Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR) reported that on June 26, immigration enforcement detained one person at the restaurant. The day after, the Lenexa Facebook page posted in Spanish that they were hiring for kitchen and cleaning employees at both locations.
The Lenexa business received its first food licensing inspection in late 2020.
El Toro Loco Legends is across the street from the Kansas Speedway, at 1706 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. The restaurant, which had its first food license inspection in late 2018, serves Mexican fare like burritos, fajitas and margaritas.
In January, The Star reported that El Toro Loco was opening another location in Lee’s Summit. However, the negotiations fell through, local freelance journalist Joyce Smith reported in April.
According to AIRR, there have been 14 confirmed ICE raids in the Kansas City area so far in 2025.
The Star’s Sofi Zeman, Eric Adler and Taylor O’Connor contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 3:50 PM.
