Roger Marshall Speaks Out Against ICE as GOP Fears It Could Lose Kansas - Newsweek
Republican Senator Roger Marshall has voiced concerns with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in southwest Kansas, calling on federal agents to coordinate more closely with local law enforcement as immigration raids unfold across the region.
"When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement. Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe," Marshall wrote in a post on X.
"Iβm closely following whatβs happening in SW Kansas and have been in direct contact with Secretary Mullin and local law enforcement as ICE executes warrants in order to keep Kansans safe."
It comes after local officials reported increased ICE activity in communities including Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal.
Officials in those cities said they were not notified in advance of the federal enforcement operations and learned of them only after agents became visible in their communities. In a joint statement, the cities said leaders "understand the concern and uncertainty this situation has created within our communities," which "are built on trust, communication, and transparency."
Kansas, which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932 and has long been considered a GOP stronghold in federal elections, was recently moved from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican" by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. An Emerson College poll conducted September 15-16 found Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton leading Republican Sen. Roger Marshall 45 percent to 43 percent among Kansas voters surveyed.
Marshall's opponent, Hamilton, is a megachurch pastor and first-time candidate who has campaigned as a moderate focused on lowering costs for residents. The White House dispatched Vice President JD Vance to campaign with Senator Marshall earlier this month as Republicans scramble to shore up support in unexpectedly competitive Kansas.
Newsweek contacted Senator Marshall's office, Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton, ICE, and local officials in Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal for comment.ββ
Republicans have generally been strong supporters of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda, including expanded deportation efforts and increased ICE operations. It comes after a slate of shootings involving federal immigration agents under the government's mass deportation policy.
Kansas' other Republican senator, Jerry Moran, also urged coordination between federal and local authorities, saying on X that DHS Secretary Mullin had assured him that the warrants were intended to target individuals charged with criminal activity.
ICE has not publicly released detailed information about the scope of the operations described in southwest Kansas. Federal immigration enforcement operations have remained a central component of President Donald Trump's administration, which has made deportations key policy priorities.
Foreign-born residents accounted for approximately 7.4 percent of Kansas' population in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The American Immigration Council estimates that Kansas was home to 209,700 immigrants in 2023, with $2.2 billion in tax contributions.
Kansas' beef and meatpacking industries rely heavily on immigrant labor; the U.S. Government Accountability Office has estimated that foreign-born workers make up 44 percent of front line meatpacking employees nationwide.
The operations in Kansas come amid a growing rebellion brewing within the GOP over immigration, with some Republican lawmakers publicly distancing themselves from the Trump administration's enforcement policies ahead of the midterm elections.
Florida Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar said the Trump administration's immigration policies had "gone too far," warning in a campaign ad that many immigrants in her district "feel betrayed."
In a campaign advertisement, Representative Monica De La Cruz featured a DACA recipient she helped secure release from ICE custody and his wife, who said the U.S. immigration system is "broken" and praised the Texas Republican for putting "people over politics."
Former Maine Governor Paul LePage, a Republican congressional candidate, broke with the administration's immigration enforcement efforts after saying ICE was wrongly seeking to deport a member of his own family, calling the situation "not right."
This is a developing story; updates to follow.
