News & Commentary

More than two weeks after a Grandview man was shot and killed by Lenexa police, the ACLU of Kansas is calling for transparency and accountability.

“We’ve known for a long time that the KHP is not the only law enforcement agency in Kansas that conducts pretextual traffic stops on interstate highways in the name of ‘drug interdiction,” Ching said in a statement to 12 News.

A key finding from a recently released report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas revealed that the county’s bail system “penalizes poverty, perpetuates racial disparities, and undermines the presumption of innocence.”

Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said the deal between ICE and CoreCivic “reflects a broader pattern of collusion between private corporations and their enablers in this presidential administration.”

Eunice Cho, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Prison Project, said a Kansas prison faces similar conditions and added third bunks on beds to fit more immigrant detainees. While ICE data shows an average of 26 migrants, she said it’s closer to 80.

“Holding people in extended lockdown, and denying them access to adequate medical care, legal counsel, and even sunlight isn’t just inhumane,” Cho said. “It’s illegal.”

A judge on Wednesday barred a major U.S. private prison operator from housing immigrants facing possible deportation in a shuttered Kansas City area detention center unless it can get a permit from frustrated city officials.

Esmie Tseng, spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, attended the hearing. She was pleased the judge heard the city’s concerns but is worried about what will happen in the future.

The American Civil Liberties Union and several immigrant rights advocacy groups sent a letter to federal authorities Thursday calling for immediate changes in response to reports from detainees and their attorneys.