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Hundreds of demonstrators gathered across the Kansas City area to protest ICE operations and recent events in Minneapolis, with rallies held at multiple locations, including U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley's office and the ICE Kansas City office.
The protests drew participants with both local and personal connections to the issues at hand.
Protestor Sarah Lanning described an "overwhelming response to everything that has happened over the weekend and everything that has happened over the last few weeks."
Downtown demonstrators held signs toward Hawley's office, chanting that immigrants are welcome in the community.
Many protesters had personal ties to the Minneapolis area that motivated their participation.
"I have family that lives in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area, and so they've shared with me about a lot of the human rights that are being violated right now," Chritie Nelson said. "Our First Amendment and Second Amendment are being violated."
Ed Kail also cited family connections to Minneapolis as his reason for attending.
"I've got a cousin up in Minneapolis, and they're having to monitor their local grad school to make sure nobody is being overtaken up there, and that just ain't right," Kail said.
At the ICE KC office, protesters encountered a small police presence. Lisa, a protester with Ice Breakers, noted the restrictions placed on demonstrators.
"We will protest where we can," Lisa said. "The police pushed us back away from the doors where we can be heard by ICE. We're now on the grass, we know that we are as safe."
Jake Bohanon emphasized the importance of community solidarity during the demonstration.
"We have to take care of our neighbors; we have to stand up for one another, and the best way we can do that is with our voice," Bohanon said.
Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca attended the protest at the Liberty Memorial, expressing a sense of urgency.
"Without a doubt, there are ICE agents right now arresting folks," Abarca said. "So, this is necessary to show that we are not going to take it lightly here in Jackson County."
Despite the large crowd turnout and high tensions, all protests remained peaceful and safe.
Demonstrators say this is just the beginning as they plan for more events in the near future.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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