KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Witnesses say at least six people were detained Thursday morning as part of a Homeland Security Investigation operation at a food business in Kansas City, Missouri.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told KSHB 41 News that agents were serving a federal criminal search warrant at La Fontanella Foods at 1620 E 8th St.
According to witnesses, at least six people were escorted out of La Fontanella Foods. It's unclear whether the people arrested work there.
Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté said, "This was not an immigration raid."
According to a statement posted on Facebook, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office did not participate in executing the federal search warrant.
Read his full statement:
This morning, federal authorities (Homeland Security Investigations), executed a federal criminal search warrant at a food manufacturing business in the Northeast area of Kansas City, Missouri.
This was not an immigration raid.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office did not participate in the execution of the federal search warrant.
After federal authorities identified an unregistered sex offender at the scene, a detective from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Registration and Enforcement Unit was requested to respond to the area. The detective arrested the individual and transported them to the Jackson County Detention Center. This was the Sheriff’s Office’s only involvement in the incident.
This morning, after execution of the search warrant, I had a conversation with the local Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City.
For months we have communicated regularly. We have a great professional relationship and we both know we are always a phone call or text away if needed.
Community members went to the location and sent KSHB videos of people being detained.
The videos show agents wearing jackets labeled “Police,” “ICE,” and “HSI” (Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security).
"To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further. There is no threat to the public," the ICE statement said.
KSHB followed up to ask whether the investigation is immigration-related or involves another type of federal criminal matter.
The spokesperson referred us to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri for additional information.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said it's "the policy of the DOJ to neither confirm nor deny the existence of any potential or ongoing investigations."
We spoke to witnesses at the location. One of them said he arrived there at 10:30 a.m. and saw about eight people being taken from the building and put into a van.
“I get very angry when I see that," the witness said. "When I see people being treated that way, when I see people getting shoved around."
Ian Mitchell, another community member who witnessed the operation, said rapid responders were taking videos and trying to document what was going on.
“There was a lot of anger,” he said.
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