A proposed Jackson County ordinance would keep ICE agents and other law enforcement officers from wearing masks while on duty in the Missouri county.
Ordinance 6050 would require immigration officers to keep their badges and faces visible, while providing specific exemptions for undercover and tactical units. The measure also would mandate local agencies adopt written policies and report all documentation to the Jackson County Legislature for annual review.
But in an interview with The Heartlander Wednesday, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe warned that “the ICE agents have to be protected. They’re doing what Missourians want. They want to make sure that illegals that are in our country are not affecting our communities, and are not selling drugs in our communities.”
Jackson County Legislature Chairman Manuel Abarca IV is pushing for a vote following the death of Kansas City activist Renee Good, the woman who was shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis after her vehicle appeared in video footage to ram the officer.
The name of the ordinance was officially changed to “Renee Nicole Macklin Good Transparency and Accountability Ordinance” after her death.
“The ordinance is about ensuring that people know who is exercising authority over them,” Abarca said in a release. “Visibility is a basic component of accountability. When identification is obscured, trust breaks down and the consequences can be severe.”
“It’s interesting to me, the same people who wanted everybody to wear a mask down in 2020 now all of a sudden don’t want people to wear a mask,” Kehoe told The Heartlander.
“It’s unfortunate that these ICE agents are under attack at their homes and their families, and we have to do what we can to protect them. So, if there’s anything I can do to help that, I’ll definitely be helping that.”
Missouri Congressman Sam Graves also blasted the proposed ordinance online.
“The proposed Jackson County ordinance targeting ICE and other law enforcement is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to dox law enforcement officers for doing their jobs,” Graves wrote on Facebook.
“It’s dangerous, stupid and illegal. We should support our men and women in law enforcement instead of proposing dangerous laws to put them further in harm’s way.”
