Moran: “The need for a field office in the region has been a longstanding concern of mine.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) this week called on U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin to establish a permanent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field office in southwest Kansas to improve access to immigration services for agricultural workers and employers who support the region’s livestock, beef processing and dairy industries. He also urged Secretary Mullin to restore consistent mobile USCIS services in Garden City, Dodge City and Liberal.
Currently, the closest USCIS office to southwest Kansas is located in Wichita, Kansas. Sen. Moran has advocated for years for a USCIS presence in southwest Kansas, and he joined his colleagues in 2021 in leading an effort to expand immigration services in the region.
“Southwest Kansas accounts for over a fifth of the nation’s beef processing capacity, supporting cattle producers across the region, including in Oklahoma,” wrote Sen. Moran. “Additionally, Kansas has been one of the fastest-growing states for the dairy industry, with much of this growth in the western part of the state. These industries have used and continue to use legal immigrant labor to supplement their workforces and support continued growth.”
“For agricultural workers, traveling two to three hours from southwest Kansas to Wichita can mean missing one or two days of work,” continued Sen. Moran. “The region’s agricultural industry does not operate on a typical Monday-through-Friday schedule, making it especially difficult for workers to travel for appointments. A permanent office in southwest Kansas would make USCIS services more accessible to the workers and employers who depend on them.”
Text of the letter be found below.
Dear Secretary Mullin:
I write to request the establishment of a permanent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field office in southwest Kansas. The need for a field office in the region has been a longstanding concern of mine, and I last wrote to USCIS Acting Director Tracey Renaud to renew this request in 2021.
Agriculture and food production are central to southwest Kansas’s economy and depend on a reliable workforce. As an Oklahoman, you understand the importance of agriculture to our region’s economy and the close relationship between our states’ livestock industries. Southwest Kansas accounts for over a fifth of the nation’s beef processing capacity, supporting cattle producers across the region, including in Oklahoma. Additionally, Kansas has been one of the fastest-growing states for the dairy industry, with much of this growth in the western part of the state. These industries have used and continue to use legal immigrant labor to supplement their workforces and support continued growth.
For agricultural workers, traveling two to three hours from southwest Kansas to Wichita can mean missing one or two days of work. The region’s agricultural industry does not operate on a typical Monday-through-Friday schedule, making it especially difficult for workers to travel for appointments. A permanent office in southwest Kansas would make USCIS services more accessible to the workers and employers who depend on them.
USCIS first began providing mobile services in southwest Kansas in 2014. While these visits have helped, they have not met the region’s ongoing needs. Appointments can fill quickly, and certain urgent services are unavailable. In May 2025, USCIS announced a modified mobile services plan that discontinued quarterly trips to Liberal, Dodge City, and Garden City and instead designated Dodge City as the service location, with the stated intention of providing monthly services. Based on constituent feedback, USCIS has not provided mobile services in Dodge City for approximately nine months. I therefore ask the Department to restore a consistent and reliable schedule of mobile services across southwest Kansas, including Garden City, Dodge City, and Liberal, while working to establish a permanent office in the region.
I urge the Department to act on this longstanding request and invite you or USCIS leadership to visit the region to hear directly from agricultural employers, workers, and other Kansans who depend on these services.
Thank you for your attention to this request.
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