Moran calls for permanent USCIS office in southwest Kansas

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-KS, has called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to establish a permanent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in southwest Kansas to improve access to immigration services for agricultural workers and employers in the region’s livestock, beef processing and dairy industries.

Moran also urged Mullin to restore consistent mobile USCIS services in Garden City, Dodge City and Liberal.

Currently, the closest USCIS field office to southwest Kansas is in Wichita. Moran has advocated for years for a USCIS presence in southwest Kansas. In 2021, he joined Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Rep. Tracey Mann, R-KS, in an effort to expand immigration services in the region.

“Southwest Kansas accounts for over a fifth of the nation’s beef processing capacity, supporting cattle producers across the region, including in Oklahoma,” Moran wrote. “Additionally, Kansas has been one of the fastest-growing states for the dairy industry, with much of this growth in the western part of the state. These industries have used and continue to use legal immigrant labor to supplement their workforces and support continued growth.”

Moran said the distance to the Wichita office creates challenges for agricultural workers and employers.

“For agricultural workers, traveling two to three hours from southwest Kansas to Wichita can mean missing one or two days of work,” Moran wrote. “The region’s agricultural industry does not operate on a typical Monday-through-Friday schedule, making it especially difficult for workers to travel for appointments. A permanent office in southwest Kansas would make USCIS services more accessible to the workers and employers who depend on them.”