News & Commentary

“When we say we’re worried about the dehumanization of people inside the facility, when we say that we’re worried about the exploitation of workers, when we talk about life and death circumstances for everyone inside, the answer to those questions does not count in dollar amounts,” Esmie Tseng, spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, told those gathered.

Since Chacon’s death, his family, as well as organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, have been asking for footage of the shooting to be released.

A federal judge once called Leavenworth Detention Center “an absolute hell hole.” In a 2021 letter to federal officials, the ACLU of Kansas pointed to stabbings, suicides and homicides that occurred with “alarming frequency.”

Another two area restaurants were raided by ICE this week. As a refresher, here is a collection of resources from ACLU Kansas and Missouri and Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR).

An immigration advocacy group says the raids were carried out by Homeland Security Investigation agents about midday on Wednesday at El Toro Loco restaurants in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas.

In early July, the ACLU of Kansas called for the “immediate release” of the body camera footage from the June 22 shooting. The release, the nonprofit said, would allow for transparency and accountability.

"We don't have a comment on this particular instance but certainly see it as part of an ongoing onslaught of attacks on DEI by our legislature and other politicians," Tseng said in an email.

A spokesperson with the ACLU of Kansas also told the Journal-World on Wednesday afternoon that the organization was “following and concerned” about the pronoun issue, and was gathering more information. ...

Attorney General Kris Kobach isn’t ready to accept a ruling that would allow transgender Kansans to change their gender on driver’s licenses and state identification cards for the first time in two years.