This headline was edited by Raw Story.
LENEXA — A 74-year-old certified public accountant’s misunderstanding and subsequent call to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation sparked a police inquiry into a Lenexa City Council member’s citizenship, public records show, igniting public scrutiny and leading to records requests from local residents.
Melanie Arroyo, who became a U.S. citizen in 2018 and has served on the Lenexa City Council since 2021, disclosed the police investigation during an Aug. 5 council meeting. Her decision to go public that night caught colleagues and city staff by surprise, according to newly disclosed documents.
In a rare move, the city of Lenexa turned over the police investigative file and a copy of Arroyo’s citizenship certificate in response to records requests made by Kansas Reflector, the Kansas City Star and two local residents. The documents identify Douglas Shipe as the Lenexa man who made the initial complaint, and they shed new light on how police proceeded with their investigation into Arroyo.
Arroyo said she understands why police felt obligated to investigate but that she was disappointed in how they went about it.
“It just kind of confirms to me that they are not sensitive with how to handle immigration situations,” Arroyo said.
Shipe, a registered Republican and CPA who lives in Lenexa, called the KBI on July 8 and requested an investigation into Arroyo’s citizenship status based on written testimony she had provided to the Legislature in February.
Arroyo wrote about growing up “as an undocumented immigrant girl” in the testimony she provided in opposition to Senate Bill 254, which would have eliminated in-state tuition and other benefits for immigrants. She also wrote that she resolved her immigration status in order to attend college in Kansas. The Senate didn’t vote on the bill.
KBI agent Jeff Muckenthaler described Shipe’s call in an email to Lenexa police on July 16. Muckenthaler said he was forwarding the information “to handle however you deem appropriate.”
Lenexa police Detective Bill McCombs opened an investigation on July 21. His first move was to call Special Agent Hayden McGrath with Homeland Security Investigations to ask for assistance regarding Arroyo’s immigration status. McCombs provided Arroyo’s Social Security number and date of birth.
Arroyo said she was concerned to learn police had contacted Homeland Security Investigations about her.
Two days later, the investigative file shows, McCombs read Arroyo’s testimony. He noted that Shipe had “not understood” Arroyo’s testimony.
“As written, one would assume her immigration status was satisfied,” McCombs said.
In the meantime, Police Chief Dawn Layman had called Arroyo to let her know about the investigation. Arroyo responded by hiring an attorney who then sent a copy of Arroyo’s citizenship certificate to police. McCombs’ report said he cross-referenced the certificate with Arroyo’s driver’s license to verify that her full name and Social Security number matched. Homeland Security Investigations’ assistance was no longer needed.
Lenexa police Capt. Justin Schopfer reported that he called Shipe on Aug. 5 to provide an update. Schopfer explained that police had confirmed Arroyo’s citizenship, which predated her election to the city council.
“After ensuring Shipe had no further questions, I ended the call,” Schopfer said.
Shipe didn’t respond to Kansas Reflector phone calls or emails. Kansas Reflector attempted to knock on his door on Friday, but the apartment number he lists on his voter registration doesn’t exist. An employee in the leasing office for the apartment complex said she would give Shipe a copy of a Kansas Reflector business card, but he never called.
Online records show Shipe donated $100 to Republican Kris Kobach, who rose to prominence as a political figure for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, when Kobach was running for governor in 2018 and again in 2022 when he was running for attorney general. Shipe also donated a total of $925 to former state Sen. Julia Lynn, a Republican from Olathe, between 2012 and 2019.
Arroyo said she went public with her frustration over the police inquiry after federal authorities on July 30 raided El Toro Loco restaurants in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas. She voiced her concerns at the Aug. 5 council meeting, where numerous members of the public spoke in support of Arroyo.
“I understand why people would be frustrated with me,” she said in an interview Wednesday. “Speaking up is risky, and I recognize that, absolutely. At the same time, not speaking up also poses a major risk for everyone. So I really had to weigh my options here, and ultimately I decided that speaking up is in support of not just our immigrant community but in defense of constitutional rights and also in defense of our humanity. I could never regret doing that.”
Tim McCabe, a Lenexa resident who has testified before the Legislature about his displeasure with facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic and his concerns that China could influence the outcome of local elections, submitted a Kansas Open Records Act request directly to Arroyo seeking documents related to her citizenship status and the police investigative report.
Kansas Reflector asked McCabe why he submitted the request, if he was surprised by anything the city provided, and whether he is satisfied Arroyo is a U.S. citizen. He replied via email with a one-word response: “Nope.” He didn’t respond to an email seeking clarification.
Laura Owen also asked for police records and whether city staff had invited media to the Aug. 5 council meeting. She declined to comment.
MacKenzie Harvison, deputy city attorney, told her city staff were “entirely unaware” that Arroyo intended to talk about the investigation that night, until media outlets began to ask questions in the hours before the meeting.
The city could have exempted the requested records under state law because they are part of a police investigative file, Harvison said, but provided them in the interest of transparency.
Kansas Reflector submitted a Kansas Open Records Act request on Aug. 14 for other requests and the city’s response. The city failed to respond within three business days as required by law. On Wednesday, Harvison apologized for the delay.
“We had what felt like a million balls in the air last week and this simply fell through the cracks,” she said. “The city of Lenexa takes its commitment to transparency very seriously, and we strive always to meet and exceed the requirements of KORA. I know that we didn’t do so in this instance, and I apologize on behalf of all of the staff involved. Rest assured that this mistake was not intentional at all, just simply human error.”