‘We’re not New York City’: Clay and Platte County commissioners reject KC mayor’s plan to import immigrant labor

Presiding commissioners for Clay and Platte Counties in Missouri issued a joint statement calling on Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to scrap plans to import migrant workers.

Lucas announced his plan on social media platform X last week to team up with the mayors of Denver and New York to import guest workers.

“Everyone is welcome in Kansas City,” Lucas wrote. “Proud to join my fellow mayors like @MikeJohnstonCO and @NYCMayor as we work to decompress new communities and collaborate between cities, workers, nonprofits and federal officials.”

Clay County Chairman Jerry Nolte and Platte County Chairman Scott Fricker participation Not only does the plan likely violate state law, it could prove very costly and lead to an increase in violent crime — all of which would further burden a city and population already desperate for answers.

“As commissioners of counties that include significant portions of Kansas City,” the statement reads, “we are concerned that this misleading policy would violate the Missouri Sanctuary City Law, potentially resulting in the loss of state funding currently in the Missouri’s proposed state budget. This budget includes millions of dollars in state funding for local law enforcement agencies, the loss of which would jeopardize the public safety of Kansas City residents living in our counties…

“New York City’s mayor estimates the cost of their migrant crisis at $12 billion by the summer of 2025. The cost of Mayor Lucas’ proposal will not be borne solely by Kansas City, but will be shared by citizens throughout the metropolis . who have no say in this policy. A massive influx of migrants will inevitably impact surrounding areas such as Northland and increase pressure on the already serious housing crisis and on citizen services such as law enforcement, education, social services and healthcare systems.”

The commissioners are also calling on Lucas to come up with a resolution that would require a full council vote on Lucas’ move, which critics derided as effectively turning KC into a sanctuary city. The resolution would essentially amount to a promise to the Missouri Legislature that the city will not enact sanctuary city laws or policies.

“We further call on the Mayor to move Councilor Nathan Willett’s Resolution 240412 out of committee so it can be voted on by the full Council this month. Resolution 240412, “Reaffirming to the Missouri Legislature that Kansas City will not become a haven for undocumented immigrants,” is an important resolution that we hope will be supported by the Mayor and all members of the Kansas City Council.”

Lucas shared a Bloomberg article outlining his plan, arguing it will benefit Kansas City’s economy, which he says is facing a labor shortage. He also states that the plan would be equally beneficial to other participating cities.

“Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas suspects that migrants with work permits could help alleviate a labor shortage that has emerged as his city experiences some of the fastest economic growth in the region,” the Bloomberg article claims . “That could also help ease the burden on cities like New York, which are struggling to provide housing and support for an unprecedented influx of newcomers, including many asylum seekers from Latin America.”

“We need a lot more employees,” Lucas told Bloomberg. “If there are people who are ready and willing to work, then I believe there could be a place for them.”

Lucas admits that the program will not be without costs, with an estimated $1 million reportedly earmarked from the 2024-2025 budget for “short-term rehousing, healthcare and vocational training programs for refugees and migrants.” He also anticipates that the city will need to provide language services since most, if not all, of the immigrant workers in question do not speak English.

Although the immigration debate in the US has raged for years, it has recently changed.

Progressives point to a recent one report from the Congressional Budget Office to argue that the U.S. economy is dependent on a large migrant worker population. The report estimates a $7 trillion increase in GDP by the year 2033, which will be at least partly driven by an “increase in immigration.”

However, not everyone is convinced that a massive influx of unskilled workers will have such a positive impact. Others, including Nolte, point to the undesirable effects mass immigration has had on cities across the country, even beyond the enormous costs.

“We should not import the violence exemplified by undocumented immigrants attacking police officers in Times Square and the brutal murder of Laken Hope Riley by an illegal immigrant who was granted a work permit and later released. We are not New York City,” Nolte said in the press release. “Enforcing this reckless and likely illegal policy will only increase criminal activity and endanger Northland families.”

Nolte told The Heartlander that he is cautiously optimistic that Lucas will do the right thing, pointing to Willett’s resolution to be discussed Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.