Senate rivals strike similar tone on southwest Kansas ICE operations
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Kansas GOP U.S. Senator Roger Marshall is calling on federal immigration agents operating in southwest Kansas to work more closely with local law enforcement, as some longtime Republicans question his viability in the upper chamber.
“When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement,” Marshall said Wednesday. “Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe.”
Officials in Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal said their local governments and law enforcement agencies were not notified in advance of the increased federal immigration enforcement.
They said they learned about the operation after federal agents became visible in their communities.
Marshall adds that federal agents are executing warrants “in order to keep Kansans safe,” while arguing local coordination would improve safety during the operations.
Democratic Senate challenger Adam Hamilton went further Wednesday, saying reports from southwest Kansas show “something has gone very wrong.”
Hamilton pointed to reports of schools warning about children potentially being left without care, businesses closing because of fear and local officials saying they did not know what was happening.
He said federal enforcement should focus on serious criminals, coordinate with local officials and avoid creating fear among Kansas families.
The dispute comes as Marshall is also facing public criticism from some members of his own party.
Some early polls even show Hamilton with a slight lead, even though Kansas hasn’t sent a Democrat Senator to DC in over 90 years.
Former Republican Gov. Bill Graves has endorsed Hamilton, telling PBS NewsHour this week that Marshall had “lost my support.”
Graves said one turning point was Marshall’s votes challenging the 2020 presidential election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Graves also criticized Marshall’s relationship with the Trump administration, saying the senator has been “pretty much a yes-vote for anything the administration wants.”
Graves, who served two terms as Kansas governor and previously as secretary of state, said elected officials sometimes need to break with their party to protect their state’s interests.
