EARL WATT

   • Leader & Times

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers came to Liberal as part of an enforcement operation throughout Kansas. Seward County Commission candidates were asked about the recent action and what was their role in insuring safety of all residents during the Seward County Commission Candidates Forum sponsored by the Liberal Chamber of Commerce.

Dist. 2 challenger Kay Burtzloff said ICE and law enforcement aren’t the same.

“I support law enforcement,” Burtzloff said. “I come from a law enforcement family. My husband is a former cop, my nephew is a cop,  my mother-in-law was the first female lieutenant in this department. But I do not support ICE. I recommended to some friends of mine not to leave their homes because anyone with brown skin was at risk. I personally delivered food boxes to people who were afraid to come out of their home. I am devastated by the impact it has had on the mental health and economic impact on our community.”

Dist. 2 Commissioner Clay Louderback said there is a difference between local and federal enforcement.

“As commissioners there’s nothing we can do,” Louderback said. “That is a federal agency above us. We can just allow them the access they need. It doesn’t mean we support what they are doing. As a personal note I don’t agree with what went on. I want compassion to be with the people who went through this. They are an important part of our community, and we need reform for this to go forward.”

Dist. 3 challenger Lizzette Avalos-Morales said her first responsibility was to serve the community as a whole.

“You said ‘your role,’ and my role is first to be a servant leader to this community,” Avalos-Morales said. “I was speaking up for those who cannot. I am brown. ICE detained more than 500 citizens since 2025. That means there is a target on my back because of how I look. First is to speak up and second is to support those in need by sharing accurate information. I support law enforcement, but I think ICE was breaking the law. I saw them break traffic laws including speeding in school zones around children.”

Dist. 3 Commissioner Jairo Vazquez said conflicting information was making the situation difficult.

“We need accurate information,” Vazquez said. “I was keeping track of social media, I went down to the administration building to see if we could get information out there. But there was conflicting information. It would be more of a hindrance to say anything. Our role is to make sure everybody is informed about what is going on. Personally I think things need to change. The immigration system needs some type of reform. For myself, family members are going through the immigration process. I know the difficulties they face.”

Dist. 4 candidate Jose Lara said the role of a commissioner is to advocate for the community.

“We have to take care of community first,” Lara said. “(ICE) lied to us when they got here. Every county said it was for training operations. That is why they were offered facilities. That’s the other issue, if we are going to be involved it will be cooperation. If they have a signed warrant by a judge, our officers should help them. With KBI, FBI, other federal agencies, that’s how it works. They don’t just show up and roam our streets. Our resources should not be wasted on an agency that is lawless. We should work with agencies who work with us.”

Dist. 4 candidate Fred Bloom wanted to make sure that everyone in the community was valued.

“My role is to love them, show kindness to the people being affected,” Bloom said. “It affected all of us, its our community. This was a federal deal. There’s no control by a commissioner. Our governor spoke on this. We need to show compassion. Diversity is one of our most important things. We need each other, we need to build on that.”

Vazquez added no one should jump to any conclusions.

“I know this subject matter is a sensitive one,” Vazquez said. “It involves feelings and identity. I would like to remind everybody to have grace and understanding with each other.”

Lara added the community stepped in to show grace and understanding.

“We had a lot of that with volunteers,” Lara said. “We made sure we could find families to make sure children weren’t left home alone. We can also speak to federal offices. I was in the meeting while we were talking to Senator (Jerry) Moran’s office. It’s our job to do so.”

Avalos-Morales reiterated the communication issue.

“We needed more communication,” Avalos Morales said. “Most of our community is immigrants. They feed us, take care of us, and this community would not thrive without them. I am the type of leader out there doing the work, clarifying the information for the community because they come first.”