ICE didn’t notify Lawrence police before Kansas raid. How common is this?
Lawrence police say they were not notified before federal immigration agents came to Lawrence and arrested five people on Tuesday, as reported by a local advocacy group.
Not notifying police is legal, but was considered a courtesy before the second Trump administration, according to reporting from across the U.S. In the past year, leaving local law enforcement in the dark has become more common around the country.
The Lawrence Police Department said in a Facebook post the agency’s leaders had not been contacted by the Department of Homeland Security.
“As a reminder, immigration law is not a function of the Lawrence Kansas Police Department. In addition, LKPD Policy requires public notification if officers are asked to assist in civil immigration enforcement,” the Facebook post said.
Photos and videos from bystanders show people stopped, handcuffed and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. This happened Tuesday morning at 23rd and Iowa streets, in the parking lot for Hobby Lobby and El Potro Mexican Cafe at 34th and Iowa streets and in the parking lot for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Kwik Trip at 25th and Iowa streets.
The Constitution’s supremacy clause prohibits local governments from interfering with federal agencies. This means the local police could assist but not prevent ICE’s actions.
ICE decides on a case-to-case basis whether to tip off local law enforcement, the president of the National Sheriffs’ Association told CNN in June.
John Sandweg, acting director for ICE under President Barack Obama, told The New York Times last month that lack of collaboration between federal and local law enforcement means “we all lose.”
In the last year, law enforcement across the country have complained about not getting heads up about immigration enforcement operations.
The Austin police chief said that the lack of communication can cause confusion, speaking to a local public radio station. She said residents have reported ICE arrests as kidnappings or assaults.
The Star’s Eric Adler contributed to this report.
