By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids said September raids in southwest Kansas by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement damaged the beef and dairy industries and demonstrated federal agents should work collaboratively with local law enforcement on immigration cases.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported the three-day Operation Safe Community by ICE resulted in the arrest of 104 people. The office of the U.S. attorney for Kansas identified five individuals taken into custody from Sept. 22-24 had been convicted of crimes in other countries, lacked credentials to legally be in the United States and ought to be deported.
A Wichita Eagle investigation found that four of those five individuals had been deported months before the raid, and the fifth was already in federal prison at the time of the raid.
Davids, the 3rd District Democrat seeking reelection Nov. 3, said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that she had “grave concerns” about ICE’s work in Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal. She expressed support for enforcement of federal immigration law but argued it was unnecessary for ICE to paralyze the local agricultural economy.
“ICE’s activities led to local business closures and school absences,” Davids said. “Kansans have shared with me instances of citizens and documented persons being targeted on their way to work or going about their day, and in many cases, local law enforcement was not consulted.”
She said southwest Kansas was responsible for more than 20% of the nation’s daily cattle slaughter. ICE’s incursion into the meatpacking hub corresponded with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reported 8.5% drop in the week-to-week slaughter of livestock.
She said the Kansas Livestock Association concluded ICE had a “chilling effect on the legal, documented, skilled workers that put beef on the table and keep the cattle supply chain moving.” The Kansas Dairy Association indicated ICE created uncertainty among workers, including those authorized to work in the United States.
“These extreme actions leave Kansans feeling less safe, strain local economies and disrupt national supply chains,” Davids’ letter to Mullin said. “I urge you to commit to immigration enforcement that coordinates with local law enforcement, respects legal workers and does not rely on racial profiling or significant economic disruptions for the sake of headlines or mass panic.”
Ryan Kriegshauser, the U.S. attorney for the district of Kansas, said in a statement the assertion ICE engaged in discriminatory sweeps based on skin color and race were “misguided and irresponsible.”
“Such rhetoric stokes fear and risks unnecessary harm to Kansas industries,” he said. “We encourage everyone discussing this topic, especially on social media, to pause, wait for the facts to be released and avoid amplifying sensational or unsubstantiated rumors.”
He said information about ICE arrests wasn’t always immediately disclosed to the public because of federal laws, ICE policies and other security considerations.
