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Raymore resident urges council to reject any ICE facilities; mayor says only records facility under consideration
Summary
A Raymore resident told the council she opposes ICE or DHS facilities in the city and asked for transparency; the mayor responded that the Harmer facility is not under consideration and said the only government facility being discussed is a records management site, not an immigration detention center.
At the Jan. 26 Raymore City Council meeting, resident Lavonne Holly addressed the council to oppose any U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilities in Raymore and asked the council to be transparent if any such proposals are made.
Holly, who said she has lived at 219 North Lakeshore Drive for 21 years, referenced recent national incidents and said she had heard unconfirmed rumors that a federal entity had purchased a warehouse at the former Richard Schebauer Air Base and that a site at Raymore Commerce (a former Harmer manufacturing facility near I‑49 and Cass Parkway) had been approached. She said such a facility would strain local resources, increase law enforcement needs and ultimately fall on taxpayers.
Mayor Turnbull replied during public comment that the Harmer facility referenced is not under consideration and noted Harmer recently moved to a different location. He said the government site being discussed, as the city understands it, is a records management facility only.
The resident’s concerns were recorded as public comment; the council did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting. Transcript remarks reflect that the report of an ICE facility was an unconfirmed rumor and that city staff clarified the discussion concerned a records management facility rather than a detention facility.
The council did not provide additional documentation or a formal staff report on federal property acquisitions in the supplied transcript; residents were urged to follow up with city staff for further information.
