Key facts
- Federal agents detained 104 people in southwest Kansas in late September, per the local US Attorney.
- The three counties most affected swung toward Hamilton by more than 20 points on average from Trump's 2024 vote share, per Reuters and USA Today.
- Dodge City city manager Nick Hernandez said officials learned of the operation from social media.
- Republican Senator Roger Marshall criticized the raids, saying police were not given advance notice.
- DHS said ICE advised cooperative local agencies ahead of the operation but did not specify which.
- Hamilton will be the first Democratic senator from Kansas since 1932 when he takes office in January.
Federal immigration agents swept into southwest Kansas in late September and detained 104 people, according to the local US Attorney. Hispanic communities in Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal, home to meatpacking plants staffed by a mostly immigrant workforce, were hardest hit.
On November 3, Democrat Adam Hamilton ousted Republican Senator Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the US Senate from Kansas in nearly a century. The three counties most affected by the raids swung toward Hamilton by more than 20 points on average from Trump's 2024 vote share, results compiled by Reuters and USA Today showed.
Dodge City officials learned about the operation from social media, city manager Nick Hernandez told an October 5 commission meeting. "Never during the operation did we find out who was actually in charge," he said. DHS said ICE "advised cooperative local agencies" ahead of the operation but did not specify which.
Marshall, long a supporter of Trump's immigration policies, criticized the raids, saying police "were not given advance notice or the level of cooperation we would expect," causing "mass disruptions to local communities and businesses." Hamilton called the raids a "disaster" and said Kansans were "fed up" with Marshall being a "mouthpiece for the president."
Carlos Rivera, who worked at the National Beef packing plant, told Reuters that some departing employees were detained by agents waiting outside the plant during a shift change. Regional cattle and livestock groups reported workforce disruptions at feedyards, dairies and meat processors, resulting in millions of dollars lost.
Karla Flores and her husband Alfredo Arrieta were detained shortly after shopping at Walmart on the day the operation started, Flores told Reuters. They were deported to Mexico after five weeks in ICE custody. DHS said parents have a choice whether to be removed with their children or have ICE place the children with a safe person the parent designates.