OPPORTUNITY FORWARD

In Kansas, we believe people should be judged by their character, actions and contributions—not by where they come from, what language they speak, or what they look like. Attacks on immigrant's civil rights from the state and federal level have chipped away at our fundamental values that keep us safe and open the doors to opportunity for the people and families who believe in hard work and education.
We envision a state where Kansans don't fear their local or federal government terrorizing their neighborhoods and can feel safe in their homes and schools. The families, workers, students, and business owners who help Kansas thrive come from many different backgrounds, and we should reject policies that make it harder for them to work hard, build a future here, and contribute to our communities.

Our whole state is better, stronger, and moves forward when there is a shared vision of opportunity.

Across the country and here in Kansas, masked ICE agents are separating families, arresting citizens and legal residents, and deporting many without their day in court. This is largely facilitated through local government contracts with ICE called 287(g) Agreements. These optional contracts invite reckless ICE behavior in our communities and force local law enforcement to execute Washington's agenda.
Kansans want the federal government and ICE out of their communities. When our local police are weaponized by the federal government against their own townspeople, it erodes the opportunity for everyone to feel safe and have trust in our local government and law enforcement.

Kansas municipalities and counties should roll back or refuse to enter in to any more of these 287(g) Agreements.

Kansas is home to so many bright, talented, hard-working young people whom we should encourage to work and build a future here in our state. But instead, our state legislature and federal government are rolling back opportunities for these children and slamming the door in the faces of young Kansans and children who have grown up here.
Students who graduate from Kansas schools and want to stay in Kansas should have the opportunity to succeed—but constant attacks on these students and their families make it incredibly difficult. We oppose any attempts from the state and federal level to gatekeep education from a small, already vulnerable group of students.

Detaining someone for longer than necessary violates their constitutional rights and our core values of liberty and due process. If someone is supposed to be released from jail, they should be—full stop. But under ICE detainers, even lawful residents can be held past when they are legally supposed to be let go, if ICE even suspects they may be allowed to deport them.
The prevalence of ICE detainers in Kansas jails means that local resources are funneled away from our communities and into ICE's deportation agenda, often without the existence of criminal charges. This erosion of the rule of law strips power from all Kansans and gives it over to the federal government and ICE, and it undermines access to opportunity and the strength of our fundamental rights and freedoms in the state.