ALEXANDRA MIDDLEWOOD
The debate over immigration enforcement—particularly the visibility and conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—has once again moved to center stage. Headlines dwell on tactical deployments, workplace raids, and local cooperation agreements. But while enforcement tactics often dominate the conversation, Kansans’ views are far more nuanced than the “for or against” frame suggests. If we’re serious about making humane, effective policy, we need to start with what our neighbors actually believe.
Let’s begin with the bedrock: most Kansans recognize that legal immigration is a net positive. About two‑thirds of respondents in the 2025 Kansas Speaks survey conducted by Fort Hays State University’s Docking Institute agreed that legal immigrants contribute to the economic growth of the US (66.2%), to Kansas’ overall vitality (64.1%), and to the economic health of their own communities (64.3%). Roughly 15% disagreed with these statements. That’s not a razor-thin margin, it’s a solid majority consensus. In a state where small businesses and agriculture depend on steady labor and local spending, this matters.
The cultural and fiscal story mirrors the economic one. More than half of respondents agreed that legal immigrants pay taxes and contribute to government revenue (55.1%), enrich American culture and values (55.1%), and often take jobs that Americans don’t want (56.1%). About 18% disagreed with these statements. These survey results complicate the caricature of immigration as purely a strain on public resources. Kansans are saying: immigrants are part of the economic and civic fabric of our communities and our state is stronger because of them.
That said, Kansans have concerns about the country’s immigration policies. A plurality still believes the country is receiving “too many” immigrants (43.7% agree; 31.2% disagree). And while nearly half reject the notion that legal immigrants take jobs from American citizens (48.4%), almost a third (31%) claim immigrants displace workers. Opinions split on social services (38.1% agree immigrants take services away; 42.2% disagree) and on expanding admissions for low‑skilled immigrants (27.4% agree; 30.9% disagree). Yet Kansans exhibit openness to skills-based immigration: 48% support accepting more high‑skilled immigrants, with only 17.8% opposed.
In sum, if Washington was looking to Kansans for a policy blueprint it would be one that protects broad legal immigration flows, invests in workforce integration, and aligns admissions with labor market realities—without losing sight of humanitarian obligations.
Where does ICE fit into this picture? Kansans’ views on unauthorized immigration reflect both pragmatism and caution. A sizable share believe that if people are undocumented but otherwise law‑abiding, authorities should leave them alone (44.4% agree; 36.3% disagree). Nearly as many say unauthorized immigrants contribute more to society than they take (41.8% agree; 39.2% disagree). At the same time, concerns persist: 43% view unauthorized immigrants as a danger to public safety, while 33.3% disagree. Though on detention, Kansans lean against the most punitive approach—more oppose (42.2%) than support (38.1%) arresting and placing unauthorized immigrants in detention camps while awaiting hearings.
Taken together, Kansans are signaling a clear preference on immigration policy: focus enforcement on genuine threats, avoid sweeping tactics that ensnare families and threaten community trust, and expand lawful pathways that match our economy’s needs. These signals reject both extremes: hardline “open borders” and the punitive “lock ‘em up” approach.
These attitudes highlight a preference for policies that are pragmatic, balanced, and firmly grounded in both security and dignity—prioritizing violent offenders and trafficking rings instead of mass raids at schools, churches, and workplaces; investing in due‑process safeguards; and coordinating with local officials to ensure that public safety—not political theater—drives deployment decisions.
The Kansas Speaks survey reminds us that Kansans, can hold two ideas at once: immigrants strengthen our economy and communities, and immigration enforcement should be smart, lawful, and humane.
The message from Kansas is clear: immigration policy works best when it reflects both economic realities and human dignity. That means focusing on real threats, not political talking points.
Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an associate professor and chair of the Political Science Department at Wichita State University.