Clay, Platte County Commissioners Asks Quinton Lucas to Withdraw Plan Allowing Migrants in KC

Posted April 22, 2024

Clay and Platte County’s presiding commissioners issued a joint letter to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, asking him to rescind his plan to allow migrants from New York into Kansas City for sanctuary.

The joint statement from Clay County Commissioner Jerry Nolte and Platte County Commissioner Scott Fricker calls on Lucas to “withdraw his offer of jobs and taxpayer-funded services to illegal immigrants from New York and other sanctuary cities.”

The commissioners also consider Lucas’ decision to violate the state sanctuary city law, possibly leading to a loss in state funding.

In the letter, Nolte and Fricker ask Lucas to advance Councilman Nathan Willett’s Resolution 240412. If passed, the resolution affirms Kansas City would not become a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.

The commissioners referred to a separate letter made out to Lucas by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on April 18, who also condemned the mayor’s decision.

“Your open invitation for illegal aliens to come to Missouri is not only dangerous but comes at great expense to Missouri taxpayers, residents and business owners,” Bailey wrote

Last week, in an interview with Bloomberg, Lucas said the metro area will soon need a larger workforce to help with several construction and manufacturing projects.

“We need a lot more employees,” Lucas told Bloomberg. “If there are people who are willing and ready to work, then I believe that there could be a place for them.”

According to Kansas City’s $2.3 billion 2024-2025 fiscal budget, $1 million in funding has been reserved for a new refugee and immigrant services program.

Since April 2022, around 180,000 migrants have entered New York City.