If masked and armed ICE forces come to Kansas City, trust will collapse | Opinion

This month, as we once again celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement, I found myself deeply troubled by news coming out of Minneapolis and communities around the country. After all, it is within living memory that secret police unjustly surveilled civil rights advocates and terrorized communities demanding equal rights and basic dignity.

During that era, secrecy, surveillance and intimidation were used to disrupt organizing, silence dissent and instill fear. These tactics were designed to make people feel powerless in their own neighborhoods, uncertain of who was watching and afraid of what might happen next. Tragically, that lesson still matters today, as Kansas City wonders whether a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility will be developed and unneeded federal forces will be deployed here.

Across the country, federal enforcement actions are unfolding in ways that leave families confused and frightened. Videos show ICE and Border Patrol agents arriving in unmarked vehicles, masking their faces and covering badge numbers. Neighbors are left unsure who is approaching them, under what authority and with what protections. When enforcement operates this way, fear spreads quickly and trust collapses. Parents begin to worry about going to work. Children grow afraid to go to school. Neighbors hesitate to report crimes or ask for help. Communities retreat inward, and public safety suffers as a result.

Having spent decades working alongside public safety agencies and local community groups, I know that accountability and transparency are not obstacles to safety. They are what make real safety possible. Dr. King understood that justice requires more than laws written on paper. It requires moral clarity in how authority is carried out. When power hides itself and enforcement relies on fear and anonymity, democracy weakens and we are all left less safe.

As a Jackson County legislator, I believe that power exercised in public must be visible and accountable. People deserve to know who is operating in their neighborhoods, why they are there and that their constitutional rights will be upheld. These are not extreme demands. They are the foundation of trust in a free society.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is not only a celebration of how far we have come, but a moment of reflection. We honor Dr. King not simply by remembering his words, but by ensuring that dignity, transparency and justice guide our actions today.

Venessa Huskey represents the 2nd District in the Jackson County Legislature.