Jackson County sheriff slams ICE masking ordinance ahead of legislative vote

As Jackson County legislators prepare to vote on an ordinance that would demand more transparency from law enforcement and federal immigration officers in the county, the sheriff says the body may have overstepped its own authority along the way.

Introduced by newly elected Legislative Chair Manny Abarca IV, Ordinance 6050 would require any law enforcement working in Jackson County — whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or KCPD officers — to keep their faces and badge numbers visible while working.

Abarca has said that the ordinance is a direct response to federal immigration enforcement activity in the KC metro area. The ordinance is currently under review by the full legislature, and a public hearing on the ordinance will take place on Feb. 9 before the body potentially votes it into county law.

But in a Monday letter to the Jackson County Legislature, Sheriff Darryl Forté wrote that he feels the ordinance might not be legally enforceable and challenged lawmakers to “be forthright about the specific reasons an ordinance is being considered.”

Behind the ordinance

The ordinance lays out potential penalties for noncompliant officers, including fines, as well as planned exemptions for SWAT teams and other tactical enforcement situations. Abarca first introduced it in December but revamped and renamed it in recent weeks to honor Renee Good, a former Kansas City resident whom an ICE officer shot and killed in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

Treating a symbolic piece of legislation like an actionable policy change could create confusion for both police and the public, Forté said, making it difficult for people to understand their own rights in a confrontational situation.

“Passing legislation that is known to be unenforceable risks creating confusion and placing both officers and the public in difficult and potentially unsafe situations,” Forté wrote. “Further, giving false hope to constituents by passing an ordinance that is known to be unenforceable is unethical.”

The Jackson County Counselor’s Office previously declined to sign off on the ordinance. Whitney Miller, a county legal representative, said last month that the county lacked the legal authority to set rules and consequences for federal law enforcement.

Many residents have taken the anti-mask ordinance as an opportunity to speak out and organize locally against ICE actions. However others have joined Forté in questioning its strength, with some worried it could expose Jackson County to future legal liability.

“Legal viability must be a foundational requirement for any measure under consideration,” Forté wrote Monday.

Potential conflicts

Forté also noted that though the legislation could create conflicting priorities for sheriff’s deputies when they are called to assist local police in unincorporated areas of Jackson County — or could be used to bait deputies into confrontations with federal agencies.

Forté wrote that “key stakeholders” were excluded from the construction of the ordinance, which he says could present safety concerns for law enforcement officers on the job.

The Jackson County Legislature only has jurisdiction over policies related to the county sheriff’s office and does not have explicit authority over federal immigration agencies or area cities’ police departments.

“If deputies are perceived as interfering with a federal investigation/operation,” Forté wrote, “it could create a situation where both deputies and federal agents attempt to detain each other, leading to a dangerous confrontation.”

Abarca did not respond to requests for comment on Forté’s letter Monday morning. The legislator previously made a case that local statutes around standards for law enforcement would be legally actionable unless a state or federal body passed an overruling set of guidelines for officers.

Abarca has also said that opposition from Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and other Republican lawmakers could emerge in the future, and that the county is actively sourcing legal experts who could help pass amendments to make the ordinance harder to overturn if it passes.

The legislature is also currently considering an amendment to the ordinance that would limit its purview to federal immigration officers, excluding local law enforcement entirely.

This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 4:04 PM.