Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, has called on the Kansas Legislature to enact a clear, strong and effective State Law regarding the establishment of “Sanctuary Cities”. The call was in response to the Government of Kansas City, Kansas adapting an ordinance that designates part of Wyandotte County as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction for illegal immigrants and feels it attempts to limit local law enforcement cooperation with Federal Immigration Authorities. He says every Kansan who visits Kansas City for shopping, dining, health care, recreation or any other purpose, deserves to know that the local police department can fully participate in enforcement of applicable law and is not arbitrarily obliged to turn a blind eye to particular illegal activity merely because local politicians have demanded it. Though it is not entirely clear that current state law prohibits what is being done in Kansas City, he believes it is now necessary and appropriate for State lawmakers to design a law preventing “Sanctuary Cities”.
