KC Mayor Lucas on ICE actions: Fear is ‘antithetical of what America is all about’
As concerns swirl about recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, including the sighting of dozens of marked vehicles in a Northland Parking lot and rumors of a possible detention facility in a renovated industrial warehouse, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas responded, saying that actions which instill fear go against American values.
“We want more people in Kansas City, not fewer,” Lucas said in a video clip posted on X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday evening. “We want people to feel more welcome, not like they’re being pushed away.”
“And fundamentally, we want to make sure that everyone feels safe to navigate this community,” he continued. “Building a city or a country in fear is, to me, antithetical of what America is all about.”
The mayor’s comments come as the Facebook page KC Discover posted a video of federal agents pinning a man down at the Briarwood Gardens Apartments on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, dozens of ICE vehicles parked in a parking lot in the 9400 block of Northeast Parvin Road sparked online discussions about new action by federal officers in Kansas City.
City Council member Johnathan Duncan told The Star the vehicles have nothing to do with any planned enforcement locally. Rather, the vehicles are being worked on by Holman Automotive, a local company which reportedly has a contract to apply decals.
Duncan said those vehicles are scheduled to be transported elsewhere.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reportedly has identified Kansas City as one of seven sites where DHS is seeking to renovate industrial warehouse space to incarcerate thousands of immigrants arrested by federal authorities, according to the Washington Post.
Kansas City’s Democratic congressman Emanuel Cleaver condemned the warehouse proposal as dehumanizing in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem..
City officials are working to verify press reports of potential DHS or ICE facilities in Kansas City, a spokesperson for the mayor said.
“The Mayor stands in agreement with the words of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver that such a facility would be a stain on Kansas City,” said Megan Strickland, press secretary for Lucas.
The Star’s Ben Wheeler provides some information for this story.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 10:43 AM.
