This is a developing story, updated at 5:04 p.m.

A widespread Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation continued across southwest Kansas on Thursday. Residents in Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal and the surrounding areas are on edge, according to people interviewed by The Midwest Newsroom and Kansas News Service.

There are unconfirmed reports that ICE agents have detained people at local meat processing plants. About 22% of the nation’s grain-fed beef supply sits in this region, according to the Kansas Livestock Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Kansas statistics.

City and state officials, including U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, said they had no prior notice before the raids began. According to Liberal Vice Mayor Janeth Vazquez, dozens of people have been detained since the enforcement operation began early in the week. So far, ICE has not provided local officials with information regarding the exact number of those arrested.

“We first became aware of the operation Monday night, and since then, unfortunately, our community has been living with tremendous fear, and a lot of people are just absolutely terrified to leave their home,” Vazquez told The Midwest Newsroom.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas posted on X Wednesday evening that he spoke with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. He said Mullin assured him that ICE is working with local law enforcement to target those with warrants for criminal activities.

In response to a question from the Kansas News Service about the southwest Kansas enforcement operation, ICE emailed examples of what they referred to as “the worst of the worst,” a list of undocumented immigrants with criminal histories that have been deported in the Kansas City area.

However, Kathleen Alonso, an immigrant rights advocate for the organization New Frontiers, said she followed up with families after their loved ones were detained.

“The family shared that they had no criminal records,” Alonso said.

Residents and officials in the area told The Midwest Newsroom they believe agents are breaking traffic laws and racially profiling community members who are U.S. citizens.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 2 union representing plant workers at National Beef released a statement condemning what they call “ICE chaos.”

National Beef has facilities in Dodge City and Liberal, with more than 2,500 members at the Dodge City location.

“ICE’s targeting of these communities sows fear, instability, and chaos into the lives of those trying to make a living and feed our nation,” the union's statement said.

This comes just weeks after the group secured a new wage increase contract with the plant.

Vazquez said the situation in Liberal and surrounding towns is indescribable. At Meadowlark Elementary School, 120 students missed school on Wednesday, she said.

“This is something that you see in the news, and this is something that small towns in southwest Kansas would never imagine could happen to them,” Vazquez said.

Vazquez said she witnessed ICE detain a mother who had a baby in her car Tuesday morning. A volunteer with a local community organization had to call a family member to come pick up the child.

“We feel hopeless,” Vazquez said. “We don't know what to do to fix this.”

Vazquez and officials in nearby cities said they are also worried about some ICE agents driving dangerously.

“I was driving, and in front of me was an ICE vehicle going south, and out of nowhere, he basically just busted a U-turn and went after the other car in the other lane, so traffic was going the opposite direction, and he was targeting them,” Vazquez said.

Community members have organized on social media. Some have offered to buy groceries for neighbors who fear leaving their homes. Others said they are willing to drive children to and from school.

Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas has partnered with Cardoza Law, an immigration law firm based in Oklahoma, to offer free legal consultations to residents in the area.

Calen Moore

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Kansas News Service

High school students wave wet flags and hold up rain-soaked signs protesting the presence of ICE at in intersection in Liberal, Kansas, on the morning of Sept. 23, 2026.

City leaders said many businesses have closed for the week. Workers are also missing shifts at the local meat processing plants in the region out of fear. Social media accounts reviewed by The Midwest Newsroom are full of descriptions of ICE agent sightings across the region.

The area has a large immigrant population that is vital to the agriculture sector.

Frank Duran and his 20-year-old daughter, Guadalupe Navarrete, were on their way home from work in southwest Kansas on Tuesday when they noticed a black truck with sirens following them. The pair immediately pulled over.

According to Navarrete, an officer approached Navarrete in the driver’s seat and demanded she roll down her windows and show identification. The 20-year-old asked if the officer had a warrant and why she had been pulled over. She said the officer did not reply.

The interaction left Duran rattled.

“I got pissed off because this is my daughter picking me up from work. It's not even 15 minutes (from work),” Duran told The Midwest Newsroom.

Duran and his daughter are both U.S. citizens and said they have lived in Kansas their entire lives. Duran works at the Cargill meat processing plant in Dodge City, while Navarrete works at the National Beef facility in Liberal.

After agents scanned Navarrete’s identification, she and Duran drove off. When they arrived home, Navarrete got out of the car shaking and crying. Duran hugged her.

“She's like, ‘We're both born here in Kansas. We're legal citizens, Dad,’” Duran recalled. “They profiled us.”

This story was produced by The Midwest Newsroom and Kansas News Service.

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KMUW, KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KRPS and High Plains Public Radio.

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METHODOLOGY
Reporter Steph Conquest-Ware, who covers immigration and immigrants for The Midwest Newsroom, interviewed residents, local officials and representatives of local advocacy groups for this article. They used social media to find and connect with sources and confirm information. Reporter Calen Moore, based in Kansas, gathered information and interviews from sources on the ground in the region.

TYPE OF ARTICLE
News — Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.