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Asylum seekers living through growing backlog at Kansas and Missouri’s only immigration court

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Asylum seekers living through growing backlog at Kansas and Missouri’s only immigration court


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – As the November election gets closer, illegal immigration has become a hot-button issue both nationwide as well as locally.

Political ads with many candidates for state and federal offices have made it a cornerstone of their platform. Recently, Missouri lawmakers created a committee whose sole purpose is to investigate crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants.

However, behind every ad and statistic is someone and their family living the asylum process. In many cases for years before they get answers on being able to stay and work or not. Advocates argue the current legal process needs to be reformed in order to function properly so people coming undocumented truly decrease.

Right now, there’s only one immigration court assigned to cover all of Missouri and Kansas immigrant cases. It’s in Kansas City and faces a backlog higher than some lawyers have seen in the more than 20 years they’ve been practicing. As a result, it’s dragging more people through the system for longer periods year after year.

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KCTV met a couple of them. Mery Prada and Brenyelis Bracho both fled Venezuela more than three years ago. They told us through a translator they rode on top of trains and hiked through all of Central America to seek asylum in the U.S.

Asylum seekers, Ks & Mo(kctv)

“There are many situations in Venezuala like political violence, food insecurity, and this makes it difficult to provide for your family,” Prada recalled. “The schools there aren’t great.”

“My husband and my two children were all on top of the train together,” Bracho said. “There were 36 cars and filled with people on top. The train just continues, so you go 12 hours without drinking water.”

They’ve both been in America for four months now but Venezuela hasn’t sent them all their IDs, and their documentation expired over the years. The paperwork is needed to seek asylum and obtain other documentation to immigrate to America.

“We haven’t been able to apply yet because my husband doesn’t have a copy of his birth certificate,” Bracho said. “If we’re unable to get his birth certificate, me and my daughters can apply but we’re unable to apply as a family.”

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Even if Bracho and Prada do find their papers, Immigration Attorney Michael Sharma-Crawford says they’ll likely wait for at least a few years.

“I was just working on a case yesterday that started in 2012,” Sharma-Crawford said. “The last time I checked the figure of backlogs at the Kansas City Immigration Court was 48,000 cases. And there are more coming in than going out.”

In the Kansas City Immigration Court, only three judges oversee all of cases in both Kansas and Missouri. Attorneys argue the backlog only makes the process harder for people who want to immigrate to the U.S the legal way.

Asylum seekers, Ks & Mo
Asylum seekers, Ks & Mo(kctv)

“If you at that point don’t file that application within one year of arrival, you may not be eligible for that work card,” Attorney Sharma-Crawford explained. “But, still waiting for that court date in four years.”

While Kansas and Missouri only have three judges to cover both states, places like Nevada have six judges just for that state and Virginia alone has four courts with 73 judges.

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Kansas

Obituary for Richard "Dick" R. Boling at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home

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Obituary for Richard "Dick" R. Boling at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home


Richard Dick R. Boling, 80 years of age, of Aurora passed away peacefully Sunday, December 22, 2024, at his residence in Aurora, Kansas. He was born on March 15, 1944, in Pueblo, Colorado to Ferdinand Bud Boling and Maxine Landis Boling. He graduated from Clyde High School in the Class



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How to Watch Chiefs vs. Steelers: NFL Week 17 TV, Odds, Preview

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How to Watch Chiefs vs. Steelers: NFL Week 17 TV, Odds, Preview


For the first time since the 2022 AFC playoffs, the Kansas City Chiefs will square off against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Kansas City has a three-game winning streak over Pittsburgh, which includes the aforementioned contest in the Wild Card round of the postseason. This year, both teams have already clinched playoff berths but still have something to play for. The Chiefs, specifically, can get the best Christmas present of all by winning and locking up the one-seed and a first-round bye. A win makes them unreachable to the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers, on the other hand, are looking to maintain their division lead. They hold a conference tiebreaker over the surging Baltimore Ravens but are far from certain to keep that.

Here’s everything you need to know and how you can follow along with the Chiefs as they square off against the Steelers on Wednesday.

Game: Chiefs vs. Steelers

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Location: Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Date and Time: Wednesday, December 25 at 12:00 p.m. CT

TV Channel: Netflix or KCTV local

Listen Live: WDAF (106.5 FM) Chiefs Radio Network or Tico Sports (Kansas City) for Spanish radio broadcast

Betting Line: Chiefs -3 (as of Wednesday morning)

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This contest’s television broadcast team is highlighted by Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and both J.J. Watt and Nate Burleson (color) in the commentary booth. Melanie Collins and Stacey Dales will serve as the sideline reporters for Week 17’s matchup.

For updates throughout the game and after the action has concluded, including plenty of postgame content, keep it locked in right here at Kansas City Chiefs On SI and follow us on X @ChiefsOnSI, Bluesky @chiefsonsi.com and Facebook at Chiefs Nation for additional coverage, commentary and more.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Read More: Steve Spagnuolo Assesses Christian Roland-Wallace’s Performance in Starting Debut



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Search for missing Reno County man ends, Silver Alert still in effect

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Search for missing Reno County man ends, Silver Alert still in effect


WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – After three full days of searching on land and in area waters, the search for 80-year-old Gary Foster has been put on hold.

The Reno County Sheriff’s Office said Foster’s family decided to postpone the search until after the holidays, when efforts will resume as a recovery mission.

Over the last 72 hours, crews launched a large-scale effort involving over 200 people combing a five-mile radius around where he was last seen. The Kansas Highway Patrol searched the area via aircraft, and Saline County provided a water rescue team and sonar to scan nearby ponds.

The Silver Alert for Foster remains in effect.

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