Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates in contested races address leading up to the Aug. 4 primary election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to residents across Johnson County.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question. So far, we’ve published responses on cost of living.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
Immigration was the single most-raised topic this election cycle, and readers split sharply. Some want candidates to “fight against ICE” and the detention of immigrants without due process. Others list “border security” among their top priorities and ask whether candidates will cooperate with federal enforcement. What is your position on the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on the issue:
Sarah Preu (Democratic)
I take border security seriously. Like all Americans, I want a functioning border security that stops cartels, dangerous drugs, and trafficking. But ICE in its current form, operating outside the bounds of law and the judiciary, is a fiscal, moral, and constitutional failure. This agency was given a $200 billion dollar payday through reconciliation bills which translates to little oversight of how those dollars are actually spent. (Do you know how much universal Pre-K and paid leave $200 billion gets us? Years worth.) Consequently, no-bid contracts and crony real estate deals are the order of the day, nevermind the ballooning national debt under Trump. We can look at his approach to ICE as Exhibit A in the mystery of how one man could manage to bankrupt 5 casinos.
Meanwhile, Congress is asleep at the wheel. In fact, the incumbent voted for additional ICE funding and even to thank ICE when we already were seeing constitutional abuses in real time in LA and Minneapolis. She didn’t sign on to impeach Noem either, even with ample suspicion of malfeasance and reckless spending. This year we watched while American citizens were gunned down by their own government in the street and were told that despite what we witnessed with our own eyes, this is all making us safer — unconscionable. And we know these abuses are by design, from whistleblowers who went on record to call out instructions to new agents to disregard constitutional protections for anyone in their path. In fact, conservative federal judges have overturned these arrests over and over citing lack of due process and other abuses.
Trump promised us they’d find the “worst of the worst” and instead we see ICE raiding agua fresca stands in Olathe where everyday Americans are just trying to work in peace. Up to 70% of detainees have ZERO criminal record (a figure backed up by that bastion of leftism, the CATO Institute) and pose no threat to anyone. At a daily rate of $152/day per person (not to mention additional costs for children and pregnant people in detention), it turns out that the Trump approach is not only morally reprehensible but it’s also irrationally expensive. Assigning case managers instead to those who simply overstayed a visa costs as little as $4/day, saving billions per year.
This is not what voters who asked for immigration reform envisioned: cowering schoolchildren and grandmas fearful of going to the grocery store. What they got instead was a whole lot of waste, fraud, and institutional abuse.
ICE must be ended in its current form; with real programs that DO work like the cyber unit and anti-trafficking initiatives carved out and rolled up to DHS. Folks who have been doing good work for decades should not have their careers conflated with under-trained, over-armed, hyped up new recruits to ICE. Real immigration reform with a path to citizenship for long-time workers must be passed so we can return to sanity.
Sharice Davids (Democratic)
Our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. We need a secure border and a lawful, effective immigration system that is rooted in accountability, transparency, and respect for the rule of law. Unfortunately, instead of working toward lasting solutions, too many politicians have used this issue to divide people and score political points.
I support a comprehensive, bipartisan approach that strengthens border security, addresses the fentanyl crisis, and creates an immigration system that works for families, communities, and businesses. Enforcement should be focused on keeping communities safe by targeting violent offenders and must be carried out with transparency and respect for people’s constitutional rights. We should not have masked federal agents operating without accountability, killing American citizens, detaining people without due process, or taking actions that undermine trust in local law enforcement.
Keeping communities safe requires cooperation, accountability, and respect for the law. I will continue pushing for an immigration system that secures our border, supports our economy, and treats every person with dignity and due process.
Chase LaPorte (Republican)
Illegal immigration stays illegal. If someone is in the U.S. illegally and is stopped by law enforcement, they are not a U.S. citizen with Due Process and deportation should ensue.
Eric Jenkins (Republican)
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Coming up:
Tomorrow we will publish the candidates’ responses to the following question:
Several readers directed questions about the future solvency of Social Security and Medicare to federal candidates, citing projections that Social Security’s trust fund could run short within a decade. What is your plan to protect Social Security and Medicare, and also to address health care affordability?
