As national attention focuses on violent confrontations tied to anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, a Kansas City–area nonprofit promoting community reporting of federal immigration enforcement has become part of a broader, nationwide network of activist groups with a connection critics say is being largely ignored by major media outlets.
That’s the conclusion of Olathe-area data scientist and substack blogger Earl F. Glynn, who argues that recent coverage of immigration enforcement protests has omitted key context about organized efforts to monitor and disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, including activity in Kansas and Missouri.
“The story of what’s happening didn’t begin last month or last year,” Glynn wrote in his Watchdog Lab Substack this week. “It began on January 20, 2021, when the Biden administration reversed border enforcement policies and opened the door to an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration.”
Distinguishing “Illegal” and “Immigrant”
Glynn points to what he describes as selective language used in media reporting. He cites commentary from Mila Joy, who argues that public debate often blurs the legal distinction between immigrants and individuals who enter the United States unlawfully.
‘When you come through our borders illegally, you broke the law,’ Glynn quotes from a post Joy wrote on X. ‘When you follow the proper channels, you can be called an immigrant. Don’t get those confused.’
Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt echoed that framing in a recent post, which Glynn says provides historical context absent from most reporting.
“What is happening now is the downstream effect of deliberate policy choices,” Schmitt wrote, arguing that federal authorities were intentionally constrained from enforcing immigration law.
Kansas-Based ICE Watch Network
Central to Glynn’s reporting is Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR), a nonprofit that promotes a “Community Watch Line” encouraging the public to report ICE activity.
AIRR’s phone number, (913)999-2398, appears prominently in an eight-page “zine” titled SALUTE, which instructs readers on how to document ICE operations, including identifying officers and noting vehicles and locations. The materials frame the effort as a way to “keep immigrant neighbors safe.”
The hotline has been promoted by a range of local and national organizations, including the ACLU of Kansas, Kansas Immigration Coalition, and Kansas City–area activist group Boots on the Ground Midwest, according to Glynn.
Boots on the Ground Midwest, an Indivisible-affiliated coalition of nearly 40 groups, has hosted “Community Defense Training” sessions in both Kansas and Missouri that focus on responding to ICE activity. Glynn also notes that Leading Kansas has previously promoted so-called “whistle kits” intended to alert communities to federal enforcement actions.
Glynn cites recent research by Karlyn Borysenko, who published an analysis claiming that anti-ICE Signal messaging groups operate in roughly 60 U.S. cities. Her accompanying spreadsheet lists AIRR and its hotline as part of that national network.
According to Glynn, the findings raise questions about whether these efforts constitute coordinated interference with federal law enforcement rather than isolated community advocacy.
Funding and Tax Status
AIRR is a registered IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit, incorporated in Raytown, Missouri, with its principal office in Kansas City, Kansas. Public filings reviewed by Glynn show the organization reported approximately $439,000 in revenue in 2024 and net assets exceeding $400,000.
Glynn lists several known donors identified through IRS Form 990 filings, including the Kansas Health Foundation, the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, along with national donor-advised funds. Glynn questions whether a tax-exempt charity should receive public subsidy while actively working to impede federal immigration enforcement.
Media Coverage and Public Cost
Glynn argues that recent coverage of immigration protests has emphasized tragic deaths linked to enforcement opposition while minimizing crimes committed by individuals in the country illegally, as well as broader taxpayer costs.
“All deaths are tragic,” Glynn wrote, “but the press shows outrage selectively — ignoring victims harmed by illegal immigrants while amplifying one narrative.”
He also cites rising public expenditures tied to immigration, including housing pressures, health-care costs, and strain on disaster relief funds, claims that remain disputed among economists and policymakers.
Political Implications in Kansas
Glynn warns that the organizing infrastructure behind anti-ICE efforts could have electoral consequences in Kansas City and Wichita ahead of the 2026 elections, noting that several groups involved in immigration activism also engage heavily in voter registration and turnout campaigns.
Related commentary cited by Glynn includes essays by John Droz and political analysis circulating on X under the name Defender of the Republic, both of which argue the protests reflect broader ideological opposition to American institutions.
Dane Hicks is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He is the author of novels "The Skinning Tree" and "A Whisper For Help." As publisher of the Anderson County Review in Garnett, KS., he is a recipient of the Kansas Press Association's Boyd Community Service Award as well as more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.
