Clay, Platte commissioners blast KC Mayor Lucas for comments welcoming migrant workers

The presiding commissioners of Clay and Platte counties over the weekend joined a litany of Republicans who have called on Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to rescind his comments welcoming migrants seeking asylum in large cities such as New York.

Jerry Nolte of Clay County and Scott Fricker of Platte County wrote a letter to Lucas on Saturday accusing the mayor of violating a Missouri law that makes it illegal for cities to grant undocumented immigrants “lawful presence” in a city in violation of federal law.

The commissioners urged Lucas to withdraw his comments and called on the Kansas City Council to pass a measure from 1st District Councilmember Nathan Willett that would state Kansas City “will not become a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.”

Saturday’s letter comes just days after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, issued a vague legal threat against Lucas for his comments on migrant workers.

But the legal arguments from Bailey and the commissioners focus on Missouri laws governing illegal immigration, while Lucas’ comments appear to be focused on migrant workers who are in the U.S. legally.

A migrants is typically defined as an individual who moves to another place in order to find work or better living conditions. An immigrant is someone who moves to a foreign country permanently.

Despite this discrepancy, Missouri Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, two of the major GOP candidates for governor, have seized on Lucas’ comments. The dispute comes as Republicans have made illegal immigration a top issue ahead of the 2024 election.

The controversy centers on comments Lucas made on social media last week saying, “All are welcome in Kansas City.”

Lucas linked to an article in which he said that the Kansas City economy would benefit from workers seeking asylum or other legal status in the U.S. but who are stuck in crowded shelters in cities such as New York awaiting work permits or other documentation.

The Kansas City mayor also posted a follow up, emphasizing that he was talking about “persons who are lawfully present, with lawful work permits, and the lawful ability to come to our community.”

The Biden administration authorized expedited work permits for some eligible migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua for humanitarian reasons. People who obtain those permits are allowed to temporarily live and work in the U.S. legally.

Jazzlyn Johnson, a spokesperson for Lucas, issued a response to Bailey’s legal threat last week that pointed to the fact that the Kansas City Police Department is under state control, arguing that the “only way Kansas City could ever become a so-called ‘sanctuary city’ is if the Missouri legislature directs the police department to stop enforcing federal law.”

The statement said that Lucas would “continue to follow all state and federal laws while also building a Kansas City that welcomes all.”

However, the letter from the presiding commissioners painted Lucas’ comments as an “offer of jobs and taxpayer-funded services to illegal immigrants from New York and other sanctuary cities.” They called on Lucas to rescind those comments, saying it would put a financial strain on the city and surrounding areas.

The letter argued that a “massive influx of migrants” in Kansas City would negatively impact areas such as the Northland and “increase the strain on an already serious housing crisis and on services for citizens like law enforcement, education, social services, and health care systems.”

“Forcing these reckless and likely illegal policies will only increase criminal activity and endanger Northland families,” Nolte was quoted as saying in the letter.