KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Residents who work in the area east of The Paseo woke Friday to the news that federal immigration agents had carried out a search and detained workers at a local food supplier, officials and family members said.
What happened and where
Homeland Security Investigations — a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — executed a federal criminal search warrant at La Fontanella Foods, a food supplier on 8th Street just east of The Paseo, on July 9, agency officials confirmed to local media. Family members and community supporters said about a half dozen people were taken into custody.
Relatives told reporters the detained workers were transported to the CoreCivic facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. Santiago Collin, who identified one of the detainees as his uncle, said he and others traveled to Leavenworth after learning of the detentions.
Immediate impact on families
Family members gathered on Highland Avenue late Friday morning and early afternoon, describing the detentions as sudden and distressing. Collin said the group is coordinating visits and trying to connect detainees with loved ones. One woman, speaking off camera, said her husband was among those taken the previous day.
"We're trying to coordinate everybody to go and see their families, see their loved ones," Collin told FOX4. "It's very difficult."
Relatives and community members said the detentions interrupted ordinary routines for essential workers who left home that morning for their jobs.
Agency statement and local response
An ICE spokesperson told FOX4 that "Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City conducted a federal criminal search warrant in Kansas City, Missouri July 9," and added that to "protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further. There is no threat to the public."
Separately, detainees reportedly told their lawyer that an ICE officer shot a Houston driver through a passenger window. That allegation was described by family members to local reporters; ICE has not publicly confirmed or commented on that specific claim.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said city leaders are consulting legal counsel to determine whether local officials can take steps to limit similar detainments. In remarks to FOX4, Lucas stressed constitutional protections for residents and residents' rights to counsel.
"I think that what I will say to people, whether they sit anywhere on the political spectrum, is that I'm here to defend the Constitution," Mayor Quinton Lucas told FOX4. "Nobody should be able to barge into your workplace or your home, take you, not give you an explanation of what it is, and not give you a right to counsel."
Local business and community reaction
News crews spoke with La Fontanella Foods owner Victor Cascone on Friday; he declined to be interviewed on camera. Community members gathered near the business expressed shock and frustration, saying workers left their homes for routine shifts and were detained.
- Location: La Fontanella Foods, 8th Street east of The Paseo, Kansas City
- Date of action: July 9 (federal search warrant executed)
- Number detained: About six, according to family members and local reporting
- Detention site: CoreCivic facility, Leavenworth, Kansas
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Agency | Homeland Security Investigations (ICE) |
| Business | La Fontanella Foods |
| Reported detainees | About six people |
| Reported destination | CoreCivic facility, Leavenworth |
At this stage, ICE has limited public comment because the action is tied to an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Family members and local leaders have asked for more information about the status and legal rights of those detained.
News Block will continue to follow developments, including any public statements from ICE, the CoreCivic facility and local legal advocates representing the detainees.
