From the Associated Press:

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bill pushed by state Republicans that would ban local municipalities from enacting policies that could help immigrants stay in the state illegally.

In announcing Monday that she signed the bill, Kelly said immigration is a federal responsibility and Congress should provide a national solution for a broken immigration system.

The bill was filed after three Kansas communities passed ordinances to provide local identification cards for immigrants and other residents and to prevent counties from helping the federal government enforce immigration laws unless public safety is threatened. Attorney General Derek Schmidt had urged lawmakers to intervene against the “sanctuary” ordinances.

(previous story)

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bill to prohibit “sanctuary cities” in the state, but she is calling on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill.

The governor issued a statement after signing the bill:

“The responsibility to address our broken immigration system rests with Congress and cannot be resolved at the municipal level. Both Republicans and Democrats in Washington have failed to address immigration issues for decades. We need a national solution and we need it now.

“I encourage my colleagues who sent me this bill to persuade our federal delegation to pass comprehensive immigration legislation that allows us to continue growing our economy and meeting our workforce needs here in Kansas.

“Kansans who rely on local government IDs to vote, such as veterans, the elderly, and people with disabilities will be adversely affected by this law. The Legislature needs to send me a trailer bill that ensures these folks can continue participating in our democracy.”

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued a statement in response to the signing of the bill:

“The veto-proof bipartisan support for this bill in the Legislature demonstrated its importance, as the Biden administration continues its tragic failure to secure our southern border, jeopardizing public safety in our Kansas communities. Under this new law, Kansas law enforcement will be able to resume working professionally with federal immigration authorities as the needs of public safety require and not be silenced by a patchwork of local ‘sanctuary city’ gag orders.”