Conservative-State Kansas City Defies Expectations by Standing Up to ICE

A series of significant demonstrations in Kansas City and Lawrence has challenged the national narrative that resistance to federal immigration enforcement is exclusive to coastal liberal hubs.

Sparked by the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on 7 January 2026, hundreds of Kansans have taken to the streets to demand the removal of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from their communities.

The movement holds deep local resonance, as Renee Good, a mother of three and a poet, lived in Kansas City for years before relocating to Minnesota.

While Kansas remains deeply conservative overall, the protests reveal a growing willingness among local communities to publicly question federal authority, law enforcement power, and immigration policy.

Local Rallies in Kansas City and Lawrence

Demonstrations in Kansas were part of the national movement called 'ICE Out for Good', with planned rallies in cities across the US protesting federal immigration enforcement after Good's death.

In Kansas City, more than 200 people turned up despite cold, wet weather to call for an end to ICE's presence and to remember Good's life, carrying signs and making their voices heard at Mill Creek Park and other public spaces.

In Lawrence, protesters gathered peacefully for the 46th consecutive week at 9th and Massachusetts streets, reflecting an ongoing grassroots effort to challenge federal immigration policy and local enforcement.

Participants denounced not only the recent shooting but the role of ICE and what they see as systemic targeting of immigrant communities.

Red-Deep State Goes Against Administration?

According to commenters, resistance to ICE is coming up even in places considered politically conservative.

However, factually, Kansas is not uniformly conservative: Lawrence, for example, consistently votes Democratic and is one of only a handful of blue counties in the state. Meaning a protest there does not necessarily indicate a statewide sentiment.

Some online commentators questioned whether the protests came from local opinion or outside influence. One said: 'We had a protest in deep West Virginia recently... 95% were bussed in... none were local'.

In Kansas, there's no evidence that protesters were largely bused in from out of state; those attending reported long‑term local involvement in rallies, and coverage indicates genuine grassroots organising in both Kansas City and Lawrence.

Another comment offered scepticism about the movement's reach, stating, 'Most of Kansas still wants secure borders and law enforcement. A few hundred protesters doesn't mean the whole state is rising'. This aligns with demographic data: while cities like Lawrence have a higher proportion of liberal voters, much of Kansas outside these urban centres remains conservative.

Lawrence: The Only Blue in Kansas...For Now

Some responses also dismissed the idea that a conservative state is going against the Trump administration. 'Lawrence has been a blue hole for decades'.

Lawrence votes Democratic in a predominantly Republican state, historically hosting more progressive demonstrations and policies compared with rural areas. Similarly, one commenter quipped, 'That's also Lawrence Kansas. The deep blue San Francisco of Kansas'.

Even though there were protests in Kansas City and Lawrence, people's opinions across the whole state of Kansas are mixed, and there isn't much evidence that rural areas are protesting on a large scale. Police in Kansas are getting ready in case bigger protests happen, and past events like the 'No Kings' protests show that people from different backgrounds sometimes gather in big numbers to speak out against federal policies.

But it's also worth noting that the protests in these two cities show that not only big coastal cities are talking about immigration enforcement. These rallies focus on safety, immigrant rights, and the federal government's power. Even if just a few hundred people attend, it proves that opposition to ICE can appear in conservative-dominated areas, too.

Whether this represents a lasting political shift or a moment of regional dissent remains unclear. What is evident is that immigration enforcement has become a national flashpoint, capable of mobilising communities well beyond expected ideological boundaries.

Originally published on IBTimes UK