Jackson County moves to block ICE facilities for at least 5 years

JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - Jackson County, Missouri, officials have approved a five-year ban on private immigration detention facilities, blocking federal or for-profit companies from building such centers within county limits through January 2031.

The county legislature passed Ordinance No. 6061 in early 2026, halting all county-level approvals, including zoning permits and development applications for privately owned detention facilities not operated by the county or a city.

County Chairman Manny Abarca, who proposed the measure in January, said the action aims to prevent the federal government from using local warehouses or private facilities as detention centers.

“Jackson County should not be complicit in building the infrastructure for enforcement operations that are routinely violating due process and constitutional rights,” Abarca said in a statement.

The ordinance comes after KC’s Platform Ventures backed out of talks with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the possible sale of a large detention facility in the South Kansas City area after considerable pushback among the community.

While some saw the halt as a win, others pushed for an ICE facility in neighboring Cass County.

Councilmember Jalen Anderson supported the moratorium for Jackson County, citing humanitarian concerns.

“We are slowly, but surely losing our humanity in this country,” Anderson said. “But [this vote] makes me proud because, to quote Robert F. Kennedy Sr., ‘Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.’”

Not all council members backed the measure. Councilmember Sean Smith questioned the legality of the ban, arguing it removes property owners’ rights to apply for special use permits.

Smith was not alone in his dissent but was outvoted when he proposed pausing the moratorium for further legal analysis.

Legal experts note that while counties can enact local restrictions, federal law may allow the government to bypass local ordinances under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The Jackson County 5-year moratorium prohibiting all permit and zoning approvals for non-County or municipal government-owned detention facilities takes effect immediately and remains in place until Jan. 15, 2031.

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