After Kansas City Moratorium, Alford Urges ICE to Consider Cass County Site
Federal officials are vetting multiple locations to expand detention capacity in the Kansas City region.
Overview
- U.S. Rep. Mark Alford sent ICE a letter proposing Cass County for a detention and processing center, highlighting a county-owned site near I-49 in Belton.
- Belton city officials said they are not interested in hosting such a facility, while Cass County’s presiding commissioner said the county is open to discussions that would include a public hearing.
- Kansas City’s council approved a five-year moratorium on non-municipal detention facilities following reports that ICE and DHS toured a warehouse near East 149th Street and Botts Road.
- Jackson County Chairman Manny Abarca said federal officials indicated they have toured additional sites and discussed a possible opening this year, a timeline he attributed to them.
- An ICE spokesperson said the agency is actively expanding detention space and emphasized enforcement against people charged or convicted of crimes, citing a 70% share of arrests, as community protests and mixed reactions continued.