Fear of profiling, promise of police funding clash at Joplin council meeting over ICE partnership

A Joplin mother told city leaders Monday night she fears a proposed partnership between local police and federal immigration authorities could leave her afraid to let her children play outside.

The City Council meeting brought passionate opposition to a potential agreement between the Joplin Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the federal 287(g) program.

Demonstrators gathered outside City Hall, while residents inside raised concerns about racial profiling, civil rights, public safety, and the responsibilities of local police.

No agreement has been approved, and no vote was scheduled Monday.

However, the possibility of allowing Joplin officers to exercise limited federal immigration enforcement authority has already sparked considerable debate.

For Cassidy T., who told council members she moved to Joplin from Carl Junction in May, the issue is deeply personal.

She said her children are U.S. citizens but have physical features that could cause them to be mistaken for undocumented immigrants.

Their father is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections who previously spent two months in immigration detention following a traffic stop involving a license plate light.

"This affects my family personally because I do worry that if my kids are out playing and you guys enact this, that I can't let them outside anymore," she told council members.

She questioned whether she should remove her children from public school to protect them and said she worries about allowing her 14-year-old daughter to visit the mall with friends.

"It's not something that an American citizen should have to worry about for their children. But unfortunately that's my reality," she added.

Council member Brian Cowles, whose request to investigate the program prompted the controversy, defended his position during the meeting, saying his goal is to strengthen public safety and identify additional resources for police.

"My priorities are simple. I want to enforce the laws, protect the citizens of Joplin and find additional resources for our law enforcement," Cowles said.

He emphasized that requesting information about the program does not amount to supporting an agreement.

"All I did was ask the public whether a 287 agreement was worth looking into. That's it. I never made a decision one way or another," Cowles said.

The 287(g) program allows state and local law enforcement agencies to enter agreements with ICE, giving specially trained officers limited federal immigration enforcement authority.

Three models are available:

The Jail Enforcement Model permits immigration screening and processing of certain people already in custody.

The Warrant Service Officer Model authorizes designated officers to execute federal administrative immigration warrants in detention facilities.

The broader Task Force Model allows participating officers to carry out limited immigration enforcement functions during routine police duties.

The program has expanded considerably under President Donald Trump.

As of October 16, there were 2,688 active agreements nationwide. Missouri accounted for 160 agreements involving 145 law enforcement agencies.

Those include the Jasper and Newton county sheriff's offices, along with several smaller southwest Missouri police departments.

Both sheriff's offices have agreements under the Task Force Model.

Immigration enforcement has also increased in Missouri. Federal records show 1,386 ICE arrests in the state during the final year of the Biden administration, compared with 3,011 during Trump's first year back in office. Another 2,531 arrests were recorded between January 20 and August 5, 2026.

Those figures include ICE enforcement activities beyond the 287(g) program and do not establish how many arrests resulted from local partnerships.

Several speakers referenced events in Noel, Missouri, where the City Council recently voted unanimously to end its participation in 287(g) and suspend Marshal Daniel Vaughn.

That decision followed the September detention of 19-year-old Rodrigo Gonzalez Carbajal, a McDonald County High School senior arrested after a traffic stop and subsequently transferred to immigration custody.

Tanisha P. told Joplin council members she feared similar incidents could happen locally, questioning whether expanded immigration authority would increase the risk of profiling and mistreatment.

"This is not political; it is about public safety," she said.

Theresa F. also raised concerns about the Noel incident, asking what protections Joplin would establish to prevent similar situations.

"How are you going to prevent something like this from happening in this city?" she asked.

The exchanges occasionally grew contentious as council members questioned speakers about their understanding of the program and whether they lived within Joplin's city limits.

Council member Mary Price questioned her, who said she lives in Carthage but intends to move to Joplin, about whether she had raised similar objections before Carthage officials.

Price also emphasized that the three 287(g) models differ and suggested federal compensation could help pay for certain activities police already perform.

However, the program can also delegate additional immigration enforcement authority, depending on which agreement a department signs.

Price said she had not endorsed a partnership and believed the public debate was getting ahead of the council's actual consideration of the idea.

"We haven't even been really given anything. It was something someone brought up for potential to look into," Price said.

Council member Ryan Jackson also questioned several speakers about their residency.

Jackson said he had heard from Joplin residents who supported simply investigating the arrangement before making a decision.

"They said that they have no problem with us looking into. Not entering, not executing, not formalizing, looking into what this could do. Whether it's good, bad, ugly or otherwise," Jackson said.

Other speakers questioned whether participating in federal immigration enforcement would divert Joplin officers from their existing responsibilities.

Chris H. said he trusted the police department to handle its current duties without assuming additional federal responsibilities.

"This is a waste of money. It's a waste of effort. It's a waste of energy," he said.

Mayor Rob O'Brian reminded residents that the 287(g) program was not on Monday's agenda and emphasized that Joplin police already maintain working relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Council members have not identified which version of the program Joplin might pursue, how many officers could participate or how much federal funding the department might receive.