Reports of increased federal immigration enforcement activity in Olathe, particularly over the past week, have sparked concerns among residents.
Videos of ICE patrolling neighborhoods and arresting people, including one of an agent pinning down and detaining a teenager in a Walmart parking lot, have spread on social media.
At the same time, over the past few weeks, 11 Johnson County schools have held demonstrations protesting ICE activity and the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
This comes in the wake of a nationwide immigration crackdown under the Trump administration and the highly publicized and violent dealings between ICE and protesters in Minneapolis.
The federal Department of Homeland Security has not responded to the Post’s request for comment for this story.
As we continue to confirm details of ICE activity in the area, here’s what we know so far:
ICE agents were seen at Olathe Boys & Girls Club last week
Dozens of immigration rights advocates and volunteers gathered Friday outside the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City in Olathe after word spread that ICE agents in the area, including some agents peering into the building earlier that day.
A worker at the Boys & Girls Club, 520 S. Harrison St, confirmed to the Post that immigration agents came to the club soon after drop-off Friday morning and that nearly 50 children were inside the building that time.
Witnesses told the Post that ICE was first seen walking and driving through the area around 7 a.m. and stopped at the Sheridan Crossing Apartments and Governors Courts Apartments.
Volunteers monitored the site throughout the day, and more than 50 assembled during the club’s afternoon pick-up time.
Kansas Sen. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat who is running for governor, said agents looking into windows of a children’s club could be “traumatizing.”
“These are children trying to go to school,” she said, “and parents who are working, trying to pick up their children and just get home for the weekend.”
Videos also circulated on social media of agents in tactical gear making arrests at nearby apartment complexes throughout the day Friday. The Post was unable to verify the number of arrests that were made, though a statement from Olathe Police later said the department was “aware of recent immigration operations.”
ICE reportedly arrested a teenager at Walmart
On Saturday, another video circulated on social media of ICE agents detaining a teenage boy in a Walmart parking lot — just two miles from the Boys & Girls Club.
KMBC reported earlier this week that two teenage brothers, Brian and Brandon Nataren, were going to Walmart around 9 a.m. when they were notified that immigration agents were nearby. They said they tried to avoid them, but one officer almost hit them with their car.
Once they parked, the brothers told KMBC that ICE agents approached their car, pointed a gun at Brian and told him to get out of the car. Video shows officers handcuffing and pinning him to the pavement.
Brian said one agent grabbed him by the neck while pulling him from the car and then put both knees into his back once he was on the ground.
In the footage, an agent is heard saying, “Put him in the car and let’s go.”
Brian’s girlfriend, who watched the incident, told KMBC she told the agents that Brian was a U.S. citizen. He was taken to municipal court, questioned and later released.
The brothers told KMBC they plan to pursue legal action. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to the Post’s request for comment about that incident.
Comments from city councilmembers
Several Olathe city councilmembers spoke out about ICE at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Councilmember Matthew Schoonover said the past few days have been difficult for some residents.
“We’ve seen reports that ICE has been out rather publicly in the community,” Schoonover said, adding that everyone in Olathe “deserves to feel at home and respected.”
He also pointed residents to ACLU resources on knowing their rights if stopped by immigration agents.
Councilmember Kevin Deneault said he has received emails from concerned residents.
He said residents should take a moment and do something kind for their neighbors.
“Show them that the world is a good place. This neighborhood, this community is a good place,” he said. “Just remind people of that.”
Councilmember Dean Vakas said Olathe is “a well-grounded community” that “will come through this stronger.”
Olathe Police say it has no involvement with ICE
Olathe Police Chief Mike Butaud said Olathe Police is aware of recent immigration operations but that the department itself has not participated.
In an emailed statement, Butaud said the police department has partnered with federal agencies but is “not authorized to enforce federal immigration laws.”
Below is a complete copy of Butaud’s statement:
“The Olathe Police Department remains committed to services that prevent, reduce, and solve crime. Routinely the Olathe Police Department appropriately partners with many local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Our department has officers assigned to task forces with agencies such as the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, IRS, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). With criminal investigations that involve outside agencies, we regularly communicate and coordinate with regional and federal partners to support public safety and advance the best interests of our community.
It’s important to note that municipal law enforcement is not authorized to enforce federal immigration laws.
Accordingly, the Olathe Police Department does not engage in immigration enforcement activities unless the circumstances involve a criminal offense within our authority to enforce. At times, we are informed of outside agencies conducting operations or investigations for a specific matter in Olathe. Based on the level of urgency, notification is not a given. The Olathe Police Department is aware of recent immigration operations, but was not involved.
As we were not involved, it is not appropriate for the Olathe Police Department to discuss immigration laws or enforcement conducted by a federal law enforcement agency. Any requests specific to investigations would need to be routed to the Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Custom and Immigration Enforcement.”
Hundreds of JoCo students are protesting ICE
Over the past month, students from at least 11 schools across Johnson County have staged anti-ICE walkouts and protests. It appears each school’s walkout is separate from one another, with organizers telling the Post there is no coordination with other nearby protests.
In Shawnee Mission, two middle schools and all but one high school have staged walkouts.
Students at Shawnee Mission North led one of the largest walkouts last week, with roughly 300 students taking to Johnson Drive chanting “no Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.” Students criss-crossed Johnson Drive three times for more than an hour, earning encouraging honks from drivers and stopping traffic at times.
Four more Shawnee Mission schools staged walkouts in the days after SM North, including three schools in one day — Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission Northwest and Hocker Grove Middle.
Shawnee Mission organizers told the Post that they disagree with ICE’s actions and decided to speak against the agency to support immigrants. One SM North parent, who attended that school’s protest last week, told the Post she thinks students are drawn to protest ICE because it’s a tangible issue that may impact a student directly, or their friends.
Students at Olathe Public Schools have also organized several demonstrations, with hundreds walking out of class and gathering near Johnson County Courthouse earlier this month. Students at Olathe East walked out a week later, reciting anti-ICE chants and gathering at 127th Street and Black Bob Road.
Students at Shawnee Mission West, Gardner Edgerton High, Spring Hill High and Blue Valley high schools have also led walkouts to protest the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
PV business connected to potential detention center
At the same time, Flint Development, a Prairie Village real estate firm, has recently drawn scrutiny for its connection to ICE after selling a warehouse to the federal government that is planned to become an 8,500-bed immigration detention facility near El Paso, Texas. If converted, it would be one of the biggest ICE detention centers in the country.
Flint owns properties in De Soto, Blue Springs and Liberty. The company has not responded about their plans for Kansas City area buildings and their reasons for working with DHS in other cities.
Juliana Garcia contributed to this reporting.
