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Residents urge Kyle council to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the Kyle City Council to publicly limit cooperation with ICE after a recent raid, saying enforcement activity has frightened families, discouraged crime reporting and strained local resources; council members heard testimony but took no formal policy action on enforcement at the meeting.
Dozens of Kyle residents urged the City Council on Jan. 20 to take a public stand limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement after recent operations in Hays County that several speakers described as violent and destabilizing.
During a lengthy public-comment period, residents — including Nikki Contreras, Sonia Reyna and others — described incidents they said occurred nearby and appealed to council members to protect schools, parks and public spaces from federal enforcement activity. “ICE is a public safety risk,” Nikki Contreras said during her remarks, and Sonia Reyna told the council she wanted Kyle to “declare that our schools and public spaces will not be used to terrorize families.”
Why it matters: Several speakers said the presence of masked federal agents has already changed behavior in the community — parents skipping parks, fewer calls to 911, and a chilling effect on reporting crimes — which they said hurts public safety. Multiple commenters urged the council to limit local cooperation beyond what is legally required; others pressed for clarity on the city’s role in joint operations and resource impacts on Kyle Police Department.
What council heard: Testimony ranged from personal accounts of fear to legal and policing questions. Kevin Olajar, a Kyle resident and former prosecutor, said the city can still exercise local discretion over how officers work with federal agencies and urged the council to focus on what local police should and should not do. Kenneth Rocha and other speakers urged stronger transparency and financial oversight if the city increases responsibilities.
Council response: Council members listened and asked several procedural questions but did not take a formal vote or adopt a policy restricting cooperation with federal agencies at the Jan. 20 meeting. Mayor Flores Kale repeatedly urged respectful audience behavior during the comment period and asked staff to follow up on community concerns.
Next steps: Residents repeatedly asked for public updates and for council members to use their platforms; several speakers said they will return at future meetings to press for concrete policy changes. The council did not put an enforcement-specific resolution on this meeting’s agenda.
