KC-area lawmaker urges residents ‘record video’ of ICE amid escalating crackdown
A Kansas City area lawmaker this week called on his neighbors to take videos of their interactions with federal immigration officers amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“If you see ICE activity in your area – Record video,” Missouri Rep. Anthony Ealy, a Grandview Democrat, wrote on social media. “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not allowed to record, because that’s your constitutional right.”
Ealy’s post came in the wake of a viral video showing a man being arrested by federal immigration enforcement officers outside an apartment complex in Grandview. Local and state leaders have also received reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering opening a detention center in south Kansas City.
Both the arrest and the rumored facility have thrust the Kansas City area into a national fight over the deployment of federal officers to American cities. Both would also center on Ealy’s district.
“The federal immigration enforcement actions carried out under the Trump administration in recent months represent an absolute failure of leadership and a betrayal of our most basic American values,” Ealy wrote in his post.
Ealy also encouraged Missourians and his constituents to connect with each other about ICE reports and to stay in touch with local organizations offering help. He recommended Jewish Vocational Services and Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR).
“Missouri is stronger when everyone who calls it home can live without fear,” Ealy said. “It’s time their government sees them as human beings worthy of respect.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 11:15 AM.
