ICE sweeps southwest Kansas towns, arresting 104 including mother with baby in car
ICE conducted a three-day operation called 'Operation Safe Community - Kansas' from September 22-24, 2026, arresting 104 people across Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, Hutchinson, Larned, and other southwest Kansas communities without advance notice to local officials. Liberal Vice Mayor Janeth Vazquez witnessed agents detain a mother with a baby in her car, prompting a community volunteer to arrange for a family member to retrieve the child. Immigrant rights advocates said families of some detainees reported no criminal records, while the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas named five arrestees with convictions including homicide, kidnapping, and sexual assault, and rejected claims the operation amounted to discriminatory 'sweeps.' Residents also reported dangerous driving by agents and racial profiling of U.S. citizens. The operation caused widespread fear, with 120 students absent from one elementary school, businesses closing for the week, and workers missing shifts at meat plants including National Beef and Cargill. Officials did not release a full roster of those arrested or disclose their detention locations.
