Kansas advocates look to past legal immigration pathways

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

The Trump administration’s deportation agenda has caused a wide variety of responses across the country. Protests in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago have prompted calls for National Guard deployments in prominent U.S. cities.

However, other states have expressed commitments to cooperate with immigration enforcement throughout the Trump administration’s campaign.

In April, the Kansas legislature passed a resolution urging the Kansas governor to fully cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. The resolution included urging the governor to call the Kansas National Guard to assist operations at the border.

Laura Kelly, a Democrat, is the governor of Kansas over a divided government. Republicans control the state attorney general’s office, the state secretary of state’s office and both chambers of the state legislature.

The resolution appears to be representative of a political divide with regard to Trump’s deportation agenda. The legislature cited findings from a Kansas Bureau of Investigation official who estimated 75,000 immigrants lived in the state illegally.

“The Legislature would continue to support efforts to secure the U.S. borders and reduce illegal immigration while fostering a legal immigration system,” the resolution reads.

The resolution follows a signed agreement between the Kansas Attorney General’s office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigations to allow certain KBI agents to assist in immigration arrests and detainers.

The legislature began allowing cooperation with federal agents in 2022 when it passed a bill to restrict sanctuary policies in cities throughout the state. The bill prevented local governments from enforcing policies that limit cooperation with federal agents. Kelly signed the bill into law.

“Neither our nation’s broken immigration system nor the Biden administration’s ongoing failure to secure our national borders justifies a patchwork of local rules that prevent law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal officials,” said Derek Schmidt, former Kansas Attorney General.

In response to a crackdown in illegal immigration, advocates in Kansas have pushed to highlight legal pathways and protect individuals throughout the state from immigration enforcement measures.

The Kansas Immigration Coalition offers educational workshops and organized legal support for immigrant communities throughout the state. The coalition partners with local organizations to provide legal and educational opportunities.

“Supporting immigrant communities comes from a deep commitment to ensuring that migrant families have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive,” said Adriana Holguin, a member of the Kansas Immigration Coalition.

The Kansas advocates have also looked to past legal immigration proposals the state has implemented.

In 2012, the Kansas legislature introduced the Kansas Business Workers and Community Partnership Act. The legislation would have enabled non-criminal undocumented immigrants to participate in a state program to obtain employment authorization and work for certain Kansas businesses.

The legislation would have created a unique partnership between the state government and the federal government with immigration oversight.

The program was limited to undocumented immigrants who completed biometric background checks, had no more than one misdemeanor, lived in Kansas before July 1, 2007, agreed to work with a certified business and agreed to work toward English proficiency.

To help fund the program, certified employers were required to pay an annual registration fee between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on the number of workers employed at a particular business.

The act also gave community and religious organizations the ability to aid immigrants in the program with educational opportunities.

Ultimately, the program proposal did not pass in the legislature. However, immigrant advocates in the state have looked to the past proposal as a guide for future legal pathways legislation.

“I believe in building a Kansas where every immigrant feels supported, empowered, and valued,” said Esmerelda Tovar-Mora, a member of the Kansas Immigration Coalition.