KCKPD officers showed up to back up ICE agents at restaurant raid Wednesday
Several Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department officers were posted outside a local Mexican restaurant Wednesday morning as federal immigration agents raided the building and marched a line of employees out in handcuffs.
“We were there to ensure the safety of the public and were not involved in the operation,” KCKPD spokesperson Nancy Chartrand told The Star.
Federal immigration agents arrested seven people in KCK and four in Lenexa during simultaneous raids on two El Toro Loco Mexican Bar and Grill locations. The agents were from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Chartrand said the department sent officers to the scene of the raid at the request of immigration authorities.
“We were contacted shortly before their operation with the request of a couple of officers for standby. I believe we sent 2-3, but the officers were not ultimately needed,” Chartrand said in an email. “It was similar to requests we receive from other partners who have operations within our jurisdiction like the FBI and DEA.”
It’s not uncommon for federal agencies to seek assistance from local law enforcement, but this is the first example The Star has learned of in recent months where federal immigration agents have asked local police to be on the scene during an operation.
In other documented immigration enforcement operations, including the raid on El Potro restaurant in Liberty earlier this year, ICE did not notify local law enforcement agencies about their operations.
Danny Chavez, a spokesperson for the Lenexa Police Department, said police officers there were not enlisted to serve as backup.
“We did not participate or help coordinate. We were made aware in advance that they would be executing a warrant at that location,” Chavez said in an email.
At the Lenexa restaurant, the HSI agents left behind a copy of a warrant signed by a judge authorizing them to seize records and documents “relating to harboring, human smuggling, or labor exploitation.” The warrant did not name any individuals who were to be arrested.
McKenzi Davis, a spokesperson for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, said the office had no prior knowledge of or involvement in Wednesday’s raid.
The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office also had no involvement, according to a spokesperson who did not respond to a question about whether the office was notified ahead of time.
“The only comment we would like to add is that we did not participate in the ICE operation,” spokesperson Grace Jacobs said in an email.
Wyandotte County and KCK law enforcement officials told The Star in May that under existing policies, they would likely not be involved in future ICE raids, and non-U.S. residents would not be detained in Wyandotte County solely based on their immigration status.
The sheriff’s office noted in May that its approach to immigration policing and detainment could change as officials observed shifting regulations and guidance from federal agencies.
Search warrant
The warrant authorizing immigration agents to search the restaurants, signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Teresa James on July 16, did not list any names.
According to the warrant, items agents could seize were: “Books, records, receipts, notes, correspondence, ledgers and other documents or papers relating to harboring, human smuggling or labor exploitation.”
“Any living space or physical evidence of sheltering or harboring will be photographed,” the warrant said.
Asked whether KCKPD was informed of the contents of the search warrant before sending officers to El Toro Loco, Chartrand said the department was not.
“They don’t provide those types of details,” she said.
Chavez, the Lenexa police spokesperson, referred a question about the warrant to federal authorities.
ICE and HSI, both of which have Kansas City field offices, did not respond to requests for comment.
Natalie Turner, a spokesperson for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said the state agency also was not involved in Wednesday’s raid.
She said the KBI has followed through on its directive from Attorney General Kris Kobach to train some agents to assist ICE in making arrests.
“We had three agents trained in June under the 287-g agreement,” Turner said. “It has not been determined if, or when, we will train additional agents.”
According to ICE’s website, the 287-g program authorizes federal agents to “partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the U.S.”
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 5:18 PM.
