Arrest by federal agents, state troopers causes a stir in KCK neighborhood
An arrest operation conducted by state troopers and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations caused a stir in a Kansas City, Kansas, neighborhood on Thursday morning, according to people who viewed the scene.
At least one person was arrested near 112 S. 16th Street, a home in southeast KCK, at about 9:30 a.m.
As of publication time, law enforcement officials had not specified whether the arrest was related to immigration enforcement activities.
“Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City conducted a federal criminal search warrant in Kansas City, Kansas May 28,” an agency spokesperson wrote in an email to The Star. “To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further. There is no threat to the public.”
Mordecai, a KCK resident and community organizer, visited that scene on Thursday morning, where a portion of the neighborhood had been sectioned off with police tape and about 15 HSI and Kansas Highway Patrol officers, many masked and armed, were present.
Mordecai often goes to scenes where people think immigration enforcement activities are happening in the area with the goal of making sure everyone’s safe and is aware of their constitutional rights. They asked that The Star not use their full name out of concerns of retaliation.
As people try to piece together why someone was arrested, local organizers are trying to get in contact with families or loved ones connected to the person arrested to ensure they’re safe and accounted for, they said.
About 10 residents, including people watching from their homes and recording the incident on the street, observed the arrest and watched officers as they investigated the scene for about an hour, taking things in and out of the home.
The arrest scene felt like ‘too much’
Mordecai said the scene surrounding the arrest felt like “too much” for the largely residential neighborhood, and that people seemed afraid to have such a heavy law enforcement presence in the area.
And although they didn’t get clarity on the details behind the arrest, the way that officers went about it, including blocking parts of the road, and at one point photographing or recording Mordecai when they were recording an agent and asking that agent questions, was concerning to them.
And after U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers killed two people in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mordecai said they, and other people, have reason to be vigilant and aware of activities that HSI is doing at the local level.
It’s important that people check up on their neighbors and communities to ensure everyone is safe, they said. After all, we’re all human and have more in common than to disagree on, they said.
“We all go to the same stores, drive the same roads, pump gas at the same stations,” they said.
Your rights when approached by ICE
People who are in the U.S., regardless of their documentation status, have specific rights when approached by immigration enforcement officials.
ICE officers need a federal search or arrest warrant, signed by a judge, with them if they want to enter someone’s home, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. People don’t have to open the door if they don’t have that signed warrant.
If they do have an arrest warrant, ICE officers can enter the home of the person on the warrant if they think that person is in the home. But removal/deportation warrants don’t allow officers to enter the home without permission, according to the ACLU.
The organization also recommends that people who are not U.S. citizens should carry their immigration documents with them at all times if they’re older than 18. If ICE asks to see those papers, people do have to show them if they have them. If they do not have them on hand, they should exercise their right to remain silent, according to the ACLU. People have the right to remain silent even if an agent has a warrant.
People who are arrested by police have the right to a government-appointed lawyer. People detained by ICE have the right to meet with a lawyer, although the government doesn’t have to provide one for them.
