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The chairman of the Jackson County Legislature said Thursday that Department of Homeland Security officials toured a warehouse Thursday morning that could be used as an ICE detention center.
KSHB 41’s Sarah Plake spoke with Jackson County Legislature Chairman Manny Abarca Thursday morning outside of a warehouse near the intersection of Missouri Highway 150 and Botts Road.
Prior to interviewing Abarca, Plake spotted people wearing ICE uniforms outside of the warehouse.
Abarca said he went inside the warehouse and spoke with a DHS official. Abarca said the official told him they toured the warehouse for a potential 7,500-bed detention center.
Abarca said the official told him they have already toured three other potential facilities. Abarca said the official told him the facility will happen this year.
An ICE spokesperson provided the following statement to KSHB 41 News Thursday morning:
"These will not be warehouses - they will be very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards.
Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe.
It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.
ICE is targeting the worst of the worst including murderers, rapists, criminals, gang members and more.
70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities.
We have no new detention centers to announce at this time."
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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