An Indivisible Group

Don’t Look Away.

  • Masked men snatching people off the streets.
  • Illegal detainment WITHOUT due process.
  • More $$ for ICE than for most militaries worldwide.

It’s happening. Here. Now.

  • An employee grabbed from a restaurant in Lenexa.
  • A father shopping at Wal Mart in Olathe, leaving in handcuffs.
  • A mom arrested while waiting for her children to get off the school bus in KCMO.  

People are being arrested WITHOUT due process.

Our immigrant friends and neighbors — most of whom have no criminal record — are being separated from their families, denied medical care, and kept in legal limbo for months.

We can’t link to an article regarding these local detentions, because not every story makes the news. We know about these cases because concerned Kansas Citians are tracking them and helping as much as they can. How many stories are we missing?

 

Republicans Are Pouring Money Into Unconstitutional Acts.

  • Republicans just allocated $170 billion for “immigration enforcement.” That’s more than the military budget of every nation except the U.S. and China.
  • Nearly $30 billion of that is earmarked for ICE, making it the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the U.S., with a budget larger than the FBI, DEA, and ATF combined.

Where’s the money coming from? Our tax dollars, of course. This funding is the result of the budget bill Republicans passed in July, known as the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” (Every Republican U.S. Senator and Representative in Kansas and Missouri voted for it.)

To be clear, Republicans gutted Medicaid and SNAP to hire 10,000 new ICE agents and fund massive deportation efforts, even though:

 

It gets worse

  • Excessive funding is fueling a race to open new detention facilities like “Alligator Alcatraz,” a concentration camp in the Everglades.
  • Yes, a concentration camp: large numbers of an ethnic minority are being detained under armed guard WITHOUT due process. Early reports describe inhumane conditions, including indoor temperatures over 80 degrees, overflowing toilets, and a grasshopper infestation.
  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is already in talks with Republican governors of 5 other states to build similar facilities.
  • Experts anticipate that many new facilities will be built in rural areas with little oversight.
  • Many other immigrants are being held in for-profit detention centers, like the one CoreCivic is trying to open in Leavenworth. (CoreCivic is notorious for its inhumane and dangerous living conditions.)

We can disagree on the finer points of immigration law and still agree that what’s happening now is wrong and unacceptable.

If even one part of this doesn’t sit well with you, it’s time to get involved.

If you ever read about Japanese internment camps, or Cherokee removal camps, or countless other examples of illegal and inhumane detention and said “not on my watch”...it’s time to stand up and push back.

 

Take Action Now!

There are many ways to stand with immigrants in our community:

Share “Know Your Rights” information with  immigrants.

Understand immigrants’ rights, how to exercise them and what to do if they’re violated. Carry a few of these cards with you so you can share them with others.

Report ICE activity.

If you think you see ICE, report activity to this hotline: 913-999-2398. Take note of their exact location (include cross streets or landmarks); the number of agents and what they’re wearing, including whether they’re armed; what they’re doing. Hand out these hotline cards. 

Attend rapid response training.

Learn to be an effective ICE witness. Participants can choose to join a Rapid Response network, which will alert you to ICE activity in the area. Interested? Email us at: [email protected] or check our calendar for upcoming trainings.

Canvass local businesses.

Help businesses understand their rights and how they can protect immigrants if ICE comes through the door. We’ll train you for these conversations, provide handouts, and help you figure out which businesses are good targets. If you’re interested in attending training, let us know at: [email protected]

Spread the word.

Leave these flyers in shops, libraries, offices, with neighbors. 

Call your elected officials.

Hold them accountable for the inhumane treatment of our immigrant community. (Note: If you use the 5Calls app, they track the number of calls each elected official receives, giving us a line of sight into the data.) Here’s a sample script:

Hi. I’m (NAME) and I live in (CITY).

I’m calling to urge (ELECTED) to oppose the current administration’s inhumane attack on our immigrant community. It’s immoral, unjust, racist — and puts us on a path toward living in an authoritarian police state.

I oppose the $170 billion earmarked for immigration enforcement in H.R.1. I oppose criminalizing migration. I do NOT believe our immigrant neighbors are a threat. And, in particular, I oppose spending so much money on enforcement when border crossings are at historic lows.

This is a moral moment for (ELECTED). I urge (ELECTED) to take a stance against the assault on our immigrant neighbors.

Defend democracy every chance you get!

There are lots of ways to get involved with the growing movement to defend the Constitution and protect our rights and freedom.