Lenexa residents rally after Latina councilwoman’s status is questioned

Lenexa Kansas | August 24, 2025

By Melanie Rivera-Cortez | Planeta Venus

Lenexa, Kansas, council meeting in support of Councilwoman Arroyo. Photograph by the Kansas Latino Community Network

Melanie Arroyo, a Lenexa city councilwoman, who became a naturalized citizen in 2018, is now facing scrutiny over her citizenship status.

Arroyo, who is a clinical counselor and art therapist was elected in 2021 to the city council, said during an Aug. 5 city council meeting that the Lenexa Police Department requested she provide them with documents to verify her citizenship status after a man left a voicemail for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation claiming that she is not a legal resident and therefore ineligible to service in a local office.

The complaint was made based on an assumption about a written testimony Arroyo submitted to the legislature in February opposing a bill that would eliminate in-state tuition for immigrant students.

In Lenexa, candidates seeking office must be both eligible and registered to vote, which inherently requires them to be U.S. citizens. Arroyo became a naturalized citizen in 2018.

During the Aug. 5 city council meeting, community members emphasized that targeting a sitting councilmember from an immigrant family sends a dangerous message to the entire community.

Rev. Jaquie  Fernández, a Lenexa resident and Senior Minister at Unity Church of Overland Park, said that the complaint should have been handled as a complaint against the system that qualifies council candidates.

“Councilwoman Arroyo is a public servant, elected by her neighbors. She is not only deserving of dignity, she is due the same respect and protection as any other elected official in this chamber,” Fernández said.

Signs from council attendees supporting Councilwoman Arroyo. Photograph by Kansas Latino Community Network

After the meeting, Arroyo addressed the community’s support in a statement thanking everyone who showed up to support her.

“It means everything to me that people from all walks of life and different backgrounds, people who knew me personally and others who didn’t, showed up and spoke to the council,” Arroyo said.

A spokesperson from the KBI said that the agency has deleted the voicemail that initially began the investigation and added that any related documents would not need to be disclosed under the Kansas Open Records Act because they are considered part of a criminal investigation.

The now-deleted voicemail sparked controversy, as the KBI typically retains all information related to an active investigation and only deletes records through proper procedures once the case is closed.

Arroyo said she has hired an immigration attorney to help navigate the situation.