Recent federal immigration enforcement activity in southwest Kansas is raising questions about what policies are already in place in Saline County if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operate locally.

A Salina311 review found that the Saline County Sheriff's Office and Salina Police Department both have policies or agreements that specifically involve ICE.

Local school districts also have policies governing law enforcement access to students, but Salina311 did not find publicly posted policies specifically addressing immigration enforcement.

Saline County Sheriff's Office Has Direct ICE Agreement

The Saline County Sheriff's Office entered ICE's 287(g) Warrant Service Officer program in September 2025.

Sheriff Roger Soldan said at the time that the agreement applies to individuals already being held in the Saline County Jail.

Under the program, specially trained local officers can serve ICE administrative warrants on individuals already in county custody.

Soldan said the agreement does not authorize deputies to conduct immigration sweeps throughout Saline County and said routine contacts with residents are not automatically reported to ICE.

Salina Police Policy Allows ICE Notification

The Salina Police Department also has a written policy that specifically references ICE.

Under SPD General Order O2307, if a person who has been arrested or detained is determined to be undocumented, an officer may provide that information to ICE with supervisor approval.

The officer is required to document the notification in the police report.

The policy addresses people already detained by Salina police.

Salina311 did not find a separate publicly posted city policy detailing what would happen if ICE conducted a larger enforcement operation in Salina.

USD 305

Salina USD 305 has policies governing law enforcement investigations, student questioning and student records.

Salina311 did not find a publicly posted USD 305 policy specifically addressing ICE agents entering a school, requesting access to a student or seeking immigration-related information.

The district's policies instead address law enforcement interactions more broadly.

Southeast of Saline USD 306

Southeast of Saline USD 306 has more detailed language governing law enforcement questioning of students.

Its policy generally does not allow law enforcement officers to initiate questioning of a student during school hours unless:

a parent or guardian has given permission;

a valid warrant has been presented; or

there is a demonstrated emergency.

The policy also includes procedures for contacting parents and for situations in which a student is taken into custody.

ICE is not specifically named in the policy.

Ell-Saline USD 307

Ell-Saline USD 307 also has policies governing law enforcement activity involving students.

Its publicly posted policy states that law enforcement investigations generally should not occur during school hours except in demonstrated emergencies.

The policy also addresses when students may be released to law enforcement and when parents or guardians should be notified.

Salina311 did not find language specifically addressing ICE.

Why the Question Is Being Raised

The local review follows federal immigration enforcement activity this week in Liberal, Garden City and Dodge City.

Officials in those communities said local governments and law enforcement agencies were not notified in advance of the federal activity.

Schools in southwest Kansas also advised families to make sure emergency contact information was current in case a parent or guardian became unavailable.

No Single Saline County Policy Found

Salina County agencies already have policies covering several pieces of a potential immigration enforcement situation.

The Sheriff's Office has a formal agreement with ICE involving people already in the jail.

Salina Police policy allows officers to notify ICE about certain detained individuals with supervisor approval.

Local school districts have policies governing law enforcement access to students.

However, Salina311 did not find a single publicly posted policy explaining how local governments and schools would respond if a larger ICE enforcement operation occurred in Saline County.

Salina311 is seeking additional information from the City of Salina, Saline County and local school districts regarding whether additional internal procedures or guidance exist.