Kansas legislature overrides governor's vetoes on immigration enforcement bills
Pair of measures requires sheriffs to honor ICE detainers and opens state data systems to federal agencies
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Legislature on Wednesday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes of two bills that significantly expand the state's cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, sending both measures into law over executive objections.
HB 2372, which passed the House 85-38 and the Senate 31-9, requires sheriffs who operate county jails to honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests. The bill also establishes state-funded legal coverage for officers enforcing federal immigration law and exempts 287(g) agreements from interlocal cooperation rules.
HB 2004, approved on votes of 85-38 in the House and 29-10 in the Senate, compels the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to sign data-sharing memorandums of understanding with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services upon request. Supporters described the bill as a necessary step toward federal-state coordination.
Together, the two measures represent the enforcement and data-sharing sides of a broader federal-cooperation push. HB 2372 addresses on-the-ground detention authority while HB 2004 opens information pipelines between state social-services agencies and their federal counterparts.
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