Kansas House passes controversial immigration bill on 86-36 vote

TOPEKA — The Kansas House passed SB 254 on Thursday in an 86-36 vote, sending to the governor a sweeping immigration bill that would bar undocumented immigrants from receiving state and local public benefits, require proof of lawful presence for applicants 18 and older and mandate that state agencies cooperate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to verify immigration status.

The bill also includes criminal justice provisions: it would require immigration status verification for anyone charged with a crime who is not a U.S. citizen and creates a rebuttable presumption that a person determined to be unlawfully present is a flight risk for purposes of bond hearings. Rep. Bob Lewis, R-Topeka, carried the bill on the floor and offered amendments adopted by the chamber. An amendment by Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, failed, and Rep. Dan Osman, D-Overland Park, unsuccessfully moved to table the bill before the final vote.

The vote split sharply along party lines, with the Republican supermajority powering the bill to passage. Several Democrats registered pointed objections in explanations of vote. Rep. JoElla Hoye, D-Leavenworth, invoked the pending termination of Haiti's Temporary Protected Status and said the Department of Homeland Security and ICE "have gone too far." Rep. Dan Osman, D-Overland Park, warned the bill's bond provisions would "tie this bill up in courts" and called it unconstitutional. Reps. Melissa Oropeza, D-Kansas City, and Suzanne Wikle, D-Leavenworth, said the majority silenced minority voices, while Rep. Sydney Carlin, D-Manhattan, noted the bill received no House hearing and that dozens of organizations testified in opposition. Rep. Kirk Haskins, D-Topeka, a Democrat, voted no, arguing the bill targets "about 425 students per year" in a state where lawmakers should focus on other priorities. Even some Republicans voiced reservations: Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, said he was "not a fan of the amendment" granting in-state tuition to undocumented students but voted yes because "there is seldom a bill that passes this chamber that does everything I want it to do." The bill reflects a broader national push by Republican-led legislatures to align state law with the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement posture.

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