HOISINGTON — Monday morning, Hoisington Police Chief Jay Bachar and Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir received several phone calls after a photo was posted on Facebook showing what appeared to be two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers standing within a block of Lincoln Elementary School.
The local law enforcement officers said they had received no notice of any planned ICE presence here. The Great Bend Tribune received permission to use the photo but was unable to confirm its authenticity.
The creator wanted the digital GeoData and identifying marks removed.
Several people who examined the photo later deemed it suspicious and concluded it had been altered.
The original post states, “ICE Spotted in Hoisington near the elementary school. Taken at 7:45 a.m. Hide ya kids. Hide ya wife.”
As the Tribune was going to press Monday, there was no confirmation that anyone else had seen the agents but one person who claimed to be in the neighborhood at that time said he saw nothing.
Although there were multiple comments on the creator’s Facebook page, most of them came from people at the same address. The post was shared many times and prompted rumors that ICE had people booked at the Super 8 in Great Bend. A hotel official said that was not true.
Bellendir said he can’t recall ICE showing up in Barton County in the past 40 years, unless it was in response to a call from the jail. If an individual is arrested, his or her name is run through the national database and if the federal agency has a retainer or warrant, the individual is held for up to 72 hours. A typical “jail log” entry for an inmate’s release might say “hold for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
However, during the Biden Administration, ICE did not pick up detainees when notified. After the 72-hour hold, the suspects were released.
That changed after President Donald Trump was sworn in for the second time a year ago, Bellendir said. Now, ICE agents will respond by sending a van and picking up suspects being held at the jail.
As for their presence in Barton County on Monday, Bellendir said it is possible they were here to make a warrant arrest but he didn’t know. “They have not contacted me.”
He did run the photo through Google maps to see if there was any evidence it had been doctored. The picture of the neighborhood is current but he did not draw any conclusions.
The Hoisington PD later posted on Facebook in response to calls from concerned citizens:
“At this time, the Hoisington Police Department was not notified and was unaware of ICE being in Hoisington. Agencies such as ICE are not required to notify local agencies. Due to local outreach, we attempted to make contact, although we were unable to locate anyone with ICE.”
