By Chris Pierce
FAIR
Kansas recently enacted strong immigration enforcement legislation when lawmakers successfully overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of Kansas House Bill (HB) 2372.
HB 2372 establishes new procedures governing how local law enforcement agencies in Kansas interact with federal immigration authorities. Among its key provisions, the law authorizes county sheriffs to honor federal immigration detainer requests and clarifies the standards under which individuals may be held in local custody pursuant to those requests. The legislation also provides legal protections for law enforcement officers who cooperate with federal immigration enforcement actions and outlines procedures for notifying individuals who are subject to immigration detainers.
Perhaps most significantly, the measure allows Kansas law enforcement agencies to enter into cooperative agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the federal 287(g) program without first obtaining approval from local governing bodies such as county commissions.
Under 287(g) agreements, state and local officers can receive federal training and authority to assist with certain immigration enforcement functions, typically within local detention facilities. These agreements can help ensure that individuals who are subject to immigration enforcement are identified while already in local custody, allowing federal authorities to assume custody in a controlled detention setting rather than attempting to locate those individuals later in the community.
The bill moved through the Kansas Legislature earlier this year as lawmakers debated the role of state and local agencies in federal immigration enforcement. After the legislation passed both chambers, it was vetoed by the governor. Supporters in the legislature responded by initiating the formal veto override process, ultimately securing the votes necessary in both the House and Senate to enact the measure into law despite the veto.
Advocates of stronger immigration enforcement had followed the bill closely throughout the legislative process. FAIR activists also acted during the legislative process contacting lawmakers, urging the bill’s passage, and encouraging support for the veto override.
With legislation now enacted, Kansas joins a number of states that have taken steps in recent years to expand cooperation between state and local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. Such cooperation can help ensure that individuals who are subject to federal immigration enforcement actions are properly identified and transferred to federal custody.
