Over 30 local organizations, civic and faith leaders call on Wichita to oppose ICE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2026

CONTACT: Esmie Tseng. [email protected]

Wichita, Kan. – This week, over 30 local organizations and civic, business, and faith leaders are calling on the Wichita City council and the mayor to adopt the Wichita Trust and Safety resolution, which would formally recognize the contributions of immigrants and refugees to Wichita and would refuse entry or renewal into 287(g) agreements forcing cooperation between local law enforcement and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Cities can and should be setting boundaries between federal and local law enforcement,” said Logan DeMond, Policy Director of the ACLU of Kansas. “Wichita should affirm that immigrant and refugee residents are valued contributors to the city while making it clear: the municipal government will remain focused on serving its residents and carrying out local responsibilities and will not support ICE’s chaos and disorder in our streets. Our communities are strengthened by our ability to work together, and every Wichitan should have the opportunity to feel safe.”

The letter comes after recent, jarring ICE activity in Wichita the past several weeks resulting in the detention of a number of residents, including well-known business owners. The signatories hope that at the Nov. 10 meeting, city councilmembers place the resolution on an upcoming agenda for a vote.

“When immigrant families and members of our community experience immigration enforcement actions that create fear, separate families, and raise concerns about due process and racial profiling, it undermines the trust that our local police department has worked very hard to build with the community,” said Yeni Silva-Renteria, co-founder of the Kansas Immigration Coalition. “This resolution represents an important commitment to strengthening relationships between the City of Wichita and its immigrant and refugee communities, protecting trust in local institutions, and recognizing that community safety depends on everyone feeling safe, respected, and able to access city services.”

Earlier this fall, local reporters found that the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Kansas falsely represent who the ICE raids in southwest Kansas targeted – the individuals cited had actually been detained months prior to the operation.

The signatories of the letter are: the Kansas Immigration Coalition (KIC), the ACLU of Kansas, Leading Kansas, Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA), ICT Alerta, Defend Democracy ICT, No ICE in ICT, Wichita Pride, Inc., Destination Innovation, Inc., La Mesa Girasol, Hutch in Harmony, Loud Light Civic Action, League of Women Voters, Wichita, Sisters of Charity Leavenworth, SEIU Local 513, SER Empowerment Circles LLC, AB&C Bilingual Resources, LLC, The Seed House~ La casa de la Semilla, Danielle Ramirez of Quiet Storm Service, the Center for Creative Change, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita, Heartland Friends Meeting, Mennonite Church of the Servant, Rev. Dr. Robin McGonigle of Riverside Christian Church, Rev. Dona Goltry, Rev. Laurie Anderson, Dr. Gretchen Eick, Pat Cameron, Aaron Fowler, Geneva Hershberger, Lisa Tos-Brightup, and Denise Cavazos.

# # #

About the ACLU of Kansas: The ACLU of Kansas is the statewide affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU of Kansas is dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For more information, visit our website at www.aclukansas.org.

The Kansas Immigration Coalition is made up of partner organizations across Kansas that work to equip immigrant communities with resources that reduce fear, promote confidence, and safeguard the dignity and well-being of immigrant communities across the state. For more information, visit www.kansasimmigrationcoalition.org.