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Rumors of ICE raids targeting churches spark fear in metro

Posted at 6:12 PM, Feb 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-12 19:45:33-05

Immigration raids throughout the country have some in the Kansas City metro on high-alert and rumors on social media had some concerned about ICE officials targeting metro churchgoers.

Immigration attorneys and community organizers met at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in downtown Kansas City early Sunday morning to send teams out to look for activity by Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents.

ICE officials said there were no plans to target churches in the Kansas City metro on Sunday and the recent raids across the nation are no different than what took place under former president Barrack Obama.

"All reports of ICE checkpoints and sweeps are false, dangerous and irresponsible. These reports create mass panic and put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger. Any groups falsely reporting such activities are doing a disservice to those they claim to support," said Shawn Neudauer, ICE spokesman, Kansas/Missouri.

Rumors of ICE agents targeting undocumented churchgoers in the metro went viral on social media Saturday night.

Robert Sagastume is the director of the Kansas-Missouri Dream Alliance. The organization works to defend undocumented students and families.

"We put out about 13 to 15 teams, so you've got an attorney and 2 or 3 observers, and a Spanish speaker. All scattered to a variety of churches," said Sagastume. "If these things are going to be taking place we need to have a plan to counter what's happening and making sure human rights are not being violated."

Sagastume admits there was no credible source for the sweep, but said the recent operations in more than 6 states encouraged them to get organized, just in case.

Immigration attorney Michael Sharma-Crawford said the recent raids differ from those conducted by the Obama Administration.

"If the target is the husband they use to ignore the wife, the kids, the sister-in-law that kind of stuff. Now everybody around them who's undocumented is being arrested along with them. And that's a tactical change that we're seeing," said Sharma-Crawford.

A tactical change that has a lot of people concerned about the future.

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