Session of 2025
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 1614
By Senators Holscher, Faust Goudeau, Haley, Pettey, Schmidt and Ware
3-3
1A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to increase the
2penalties for violations of federal immigration laws and the United States
3Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prosecute employers who hire
4undocumented immigrants.
5
6WHEREAS, Undocumented immigrants make up between 4.4% and
75.4% of the United States labor force; and
8WHEREAS, Companies, hiring managers and other employers who
9hire undocumented immigrants are choosing to take jobs away from
10Americans and are setting up an environment that keeps wages low,
11preventing American workers from earning livable wages; and
12WHEREAS, While the United States Immigration and Customs
13Enforcement (ICE) has had the authority to use federal criminal statutes
14to prosecute individuals and companies that employ undocumented
15immigrants since 1986, the agency has rarely used that authority; and
16WHEREAS, A 2019 analysis by the Transactional Records Access
17Clearinghouse shows that for the 12-month period between April 2018
18and March 2019, only 11 people and no company was criminally
19prosecuted in seven cases that were brought by ICE; and
20WHEREAS, During that same 12-month period, ICE prosecuted
2186,000 people for illegal entry into the United States, 35,000 people for
22illegal re-entry into the United States and 5,000 people for helping people
23to enter the United States illegally; and
24WHEREAS, Exploitative companies and employers have been
25allowed to establish a pipeline for the hiring of undocumented immigrants
26without penalty: Now, therefore,
27Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas: That the Senate
28urges the federal government to not only utilize the statutory penalties
29currently available to curb unlawful immigration but that Congress
30double the fines for violations of federal immigration law; and
31Be it further resolved: That the Senate urges ICE to pursue criminal
32prosecution of companies and employers who violate federal immigration
33laws by hiring undocumented immigrants; and
34Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate shall send an
35enrolled copy of this resolution to members of the Kansas congressional
36delegation and the Acting Director of ICE.