When police officers double as immigration agents, community members become afraid to call 911, report a crime, or cooperate with an investigation — even when they have every right to be here. That fear makes everyone less safe, not more.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is pushing city and county law enforcement agencies across the state to sign 287(g) agreements, which deputize local officers to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) track down and detain people facing deportation. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and dozens of counties and cities have already joined, and Kobach says he expects many more to follow.

But local sheriffs and police chiefs already stretch limited budgets and staff to handle the crimes happening in their own communities. Piling federal immigration enforcement duties onto departments that haven't asked for them pulls resources away from local public safety — and asks officers to take on a job they aren't funded or trained to do.

"I trust our local sheriffs to make the decision that is best for their community," said Chris Mann, the Democratic nominee for Kansas Attorney General, according to the Kansas Reflector.

The Kansas Legislature and Attorney General Kobach should let local law enforcement agencies decide for themselves whether to take on federal immigration duties — not pressure or incentivize them into it from Topeka. Public safety works best when communities trust the officers who protect them.

Sign the petition to stop the state from pushing 287(g) ICE agreements onto Kansas police — before more communities lose trust in the officers meant to protect them.