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Resident urges Garden City to issue public statement after April ICE activity
Summary
A Garden City resident asked the city commission to consider a public statement and resources after immigration enforcement activity in early April that she said included at least one minor and affected multiple households.
Britney Martin, a Garden City resident, asked the City Commission on May 6 for a public statement and information after immigration enforcement activity the week of April 7 that she said had an unusually large scale and affected multiple households.
Martin said she was not at a recent town hall because she was at a work conference but raised concerns from her professional experience in child welfare and family services. “The scale of operations and the multi communities built with the detainments made the made this different,” she told commissioners. She said, to her knowledge, the operation included “at least 1 minor.”
Martin described an instance in which a child’s siblings mistakenly believed the child could attend a court appointment and said that child later was subject to deportation-related processes. She said transportation and shrinking service resources hamper families’ ability to access court hearings in Kansas City, and she asked the commission what process or criteria the city or the mayor uses to make public statements about events affecting the community.
Martin asked the commission to “consider making a public statement regarding activity or the broader immigration related concerns based in our community” and suggested the city could provide resources, reassurance and information to residents. She also said the city could collaborate with nearby cities such as Liberal, whose mayor had made public remarks on similar incidents.
The commission did not take an action on Martin’s request during the meeting. Staff and commissioners acknowledged her comments during the public comment period; no vote or formal direction to draft a statement appears in the transcript. The transcript shows Martin said she had contacted other offices and sheriff departments and that “everybody's been respectful.”
Because Martin identified specific child-welfare concerns and alleged a minor was involved, commissioners may choose to follow up through staff to clarify facts and determine whether an official statement, resources, or intergovernmental coordination is warranted. The transcript does not record further city action, staff assignment, or a timeline for any follow-up.
Martin concluded by thanking the commission and saying she looked forward to hearing from them.
