U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested six people during a traffic stop in Lenexa earlier this week.
The arrests took place near Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, an ICE spokesperson confirmed in an email to the Johnson County Post.
“ICE officers, in coordination with federal partners, conducted a vehicle stop after identifying their primary target driving near 8600 Greenway Lane in Lenexa, Kansas. The enforcement action resulted in the arrest of six illegal aliens from Mexico,” the spokesperson said in the email.
The ICE spokesperson did not respond to questions from the Johnson County Post about the names of the people and where they were transported to after being placed in custody.
The arrests drew the attention of residents
Footage of the traffic stop was posted on a thread on Reddit, while an anonymous source sent a second, longer video of the stop to a Johnson County Post reporter.
In the video, the anonymous sender notes four officials involved in the traffic stop, two wearing masks and two unmasked, as they talk to the people in two vehicles. One of the officers appears to retrieve some kind of chains from his vehicle.
Lenexa Police knew that federal agents would be in the area, but city police officers were uninvolved in the arrests, Lenexa Master Police Officer Danny Chavez said in multiple emails to the Johnson County Post.
“Earlier this morning (on Tuesday) we were made aware that federal agents would be working in that area,” he said in a email.
Community respond to the arrests on social media
Shortly after the arrests, local organization Advocates for Immigrant Rights & Reconciliation posted on social media some community-submitted information concerning the arrests.
The post garnered 245 shares on Facebook and 183 re-posts on Instagram.
AIRR declined a request for comment on the arrests from the Johnson County Post.
Federal agents previously raided a Lenexa business
On July 30, about a dozen employees at two of El Toro Loco restaurants were detained in immigration raids on July 30, including at its location at 10088 Woodland Road in Lenexa, and another one in Kansas City, Kansas.
The raids drew immediate responses from residents, activists and Lenexa officials.
“This kind of raid fosters fear, divides families and undermines trust in local institutions,” said Lenexa Councilmember John Michael Handley in a city council meeting in August. “Our community is stronger, safer and more just when all residents feel safe to live, work and participate in civic life without fear of being targeted.”
The Lenexa restaurant shut down for about two months following the raids. It re-opened in September.
