They’re the immigrant children long considered to be the most vulnerable. Many traveled to the U.S. alone, unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Some were trafficked for labor or sex. A state judge has ruled that each of them has experienced serious abuse, neglect or abandonment and is in need of the state’s care. For […]
Mary Sanchez
Mary Sanchez is a nationally syndicated columnist with Tribune Content Agency. She has also been a metro columnist for The Kansas City Star and member of the Star’s editorial board, in addition to her years spent reporting on race, class, criminal justice and educational issues. Sanchez is part of The Beacon's 2024 pop-up election bureau and a native of Kansas City.
Posted inHousing
Wyandotte County may soon sell family homes to highest bidder. Neighbors are rallying to help
James Mays grew up in the Wyandotte County home that he is now desperately trying to save from being sold to the highest bidder. He recently canceled full insurance coverage on his car to put money toward payment on the home’s overdue property taxes, bringing the debt total to under $2,500. “I never entertained the […]
Posted inImmigration
Afghan man, a U.S. wartime ally, sued the government to keep his family safe from the Taliban
An Afghan ally of the U.S. military became a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit challenging a travel ban. He recently reunited with his family in Kansas City.
Posted inImmigration
Haitian community braces after courts strip protected immigration status
Kansas City’s Haitian community is generations deep and growing, filled with nurses, dentists and other health professionals. Newer arrivals fear deportation after the loss of a protected immigration status.
Posted inImmigration
Deportation campaign in 2025 cost jobs for American workers, including in Kansas City
Immigrant communities fearful of expanding ICE enforcement are changing how they work and function in society. Their decisions are having broad economic impact.
Posted inImmigration
Kansas City reflects global push to focus World Cup on workers and immigrants
Activists in Kansas City are using the world’s focus on soccer to highlight workers’ rights, social inequities and safety concerns for immigrants in the cities where the games are being played.
Posted inImmigration
Undocumented Kansas high school graduates find themselves increasingly targeted
Kansas could be the next state sued for its in-state tuition program for undocumented students.
Posted inImmigration
Shackled immigrants targeted for deportation are being flown in and out of Kansas City International Airport
Chartered flights at KCI are playing a growing role in immigration enforcement as more detainees are transported around and out of the country.
Posted inImmigration
With no-masks proposal, Jackson County joins push to restrain ICE
The Department of Homeland Security insists masking protects federal law enforcement from doxing and physical attacks.
Posted inImmigration
Afghan man who helped the U.S. fight the Taliban ordered released from ICE detention in Missouri
Mohammad Ali Dadfar will reunite with his wife and children after his release from a Springfield, Missouri, jail that is contracting with the Department of Homeland Security.