TOPEKA, Kan. — Republican Kris Kobach says Kansas is spending $377 million a year on benefits for immigrants living in the state illegally, and he promises to put a stop to it if he's elected governor.
But the figure Kobach repeatedly cites comes from an anti-immigration group, which experts say uses questionable calculations.
Most of the costs are for things such as education for immigrant children that Kansas is required by federal law to provide.
Kobach is the Kansas secretary of state and has made illegal immigration a core issue in his campaign.
His claim is based on a September 2017 report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform. The Washington think tank advocates stricter immigration enforcement and less legal immigration.