KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Community concerns about immigration raids rise at one local convention, where the focus is on civil rights for Latino people.
This week’s UNIDOS Convention, which is hosted at the Kansas City Convention Center, Hispanic leaders fear worries over immigration raids and deportations may grow after last month’s passage of the Budget Reconciliation Bill, also known as the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
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It’s a concern for some because of provisions it carries related to immigration. Recent raids in the Kansas City metro conducted by federal officers have convention leaders calling for unity and sweeping change.
“It’s a very scary time for a lot of families,” Carmen Feliciano, UNIDOS’s vice-president, said on Monday. “Our community is living in fear. They’re being prosecuted.”
Feliciano complains that immigration raids are being conducted in a heavy-handed fashion, and children are being separated from their families. Feliciano said fears are intensifying, amid concerns ICE raids may become more common after the passage of stronger immigration policies.
“What we’re seeing is they’re targeting our civilian community. They’re targeting Latino American citizens. It’s very alarming what we’re seeing,” Feliciano said.
At least two of those raids happened last week, as immigration officers swept two metro Mexican restaurants. At least 12 people were taken from the El Toro Loco locations in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas. The Department of Homeland Security said it carried out a search warrant to rescue victims of human trafficking.
At Kansas City’s Mattie Rhodes Center, John Fierro works with dozens of Latino people every day at his non-profit on Kansas City’s west side.
“We just need to continue to be positive. We need to continue to use our voice, and stand up for those who are being targeted and apprehended for not legitimate reasons, and we just need to stay together,” Fierro said.
Crispin Rea, who represents Kansas City’s 4th District as a city councilmember, said these raids have a detrimental effect on children, who often witness their loved ones being taken away.
“We can’t control how the federal government makes folks feel, but at the very least, we can control how we make them feel and the extent to which they feel welcome here. That’s the goal,” Councilmember Rea told FOX4.
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Feliciano said for the current generation of Latino Americans, this period of history resembles the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
The UNIDOS convention continues all week at the Kansas City Convention Center. You can find more information about it, as well as how to register and attend, here.
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