Owner of KC’s La Fontanella Foods, site of Homeland Security arrests, to make statement
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- HSI executed a federal criminal search warrant in Kansas City on July 9.
- At least six people were escorted from La Fontanella Foods by agents wearing HSI jackets.
- La Fontanella owner Victor Cascone said he will release a full statement early next week.
The owner of a food manufacturing facility in Kansas City that was apparently the site of Homeland Security arrests on Thursday says he will release a statement about the incident early next week.
At least six people were seen being escorted out of La Fontanella Foods, 1620 E. Eighth St., on Thursday morning by law enforcement agents wearing jackets labeled HSI, or Homeland Security Investigations, a criminal investigation arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The action drew criticism from local advocacy groups, elected officials and neighborhood residents who say immigration agents have been “terrorizing” the community.
What exactly happened, including who might have been arrested and why, remains unclear.
“Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City conducted a federal criminal search warrant in Kansas City, Missouri, July 9,” regional ICE spokesperson Robert Hughes said in a statement. “To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further. There is no threat to the public.”
Sheriff Darryl Forté said in a statement that “this was not an immigration raid” and that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office did not participate in executing the search warrant.
La Fontanella Foods in Kansas City
La Fontanella Foods produces specialty food products, notably sauces, under its private label Cascone’s brand — named after the longtime Northland Italian restaurant.
The restaurant has been operated by the Cascone family for generations, according to its website. La Fontanella Foods, also operated by the Cascones, has been in business since at least 1997, according to state records.
La Fontanella owner Victor Cascone told The Star on Friday that he will release a full statement early next week.
The business was featured in The Star in a 2000 article about local restaurant brands bottling their own pasta sauces for sale at supermarkets, competing with national names. Cascone’s sauces were said to be identical to the ones found in Cascone’s restaurants.
La Fontanella has also produced other products, such as salad dressings, and items for other brands over the years, according to archived versions of its website.
Star reporter Ben Wheeler contributed reporting.