WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump (all times local):

10:30 a.m.

A top immigration official says people living in the country illegally have good reason to be worried about getting deported under President Donald Trump.

Thomas Homan, deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, spoke Tuesday in Washington as the federal government announced that Border Patrol arrests plunged to a 45-year-low in the last fiscal year while arrests by deportation officers soared.

Homan says the Trump administration has cast a wider net when picking up people for deportation.

Administration officials say the decline in Border Patrol arrests to the lowest level since 1971 doesn’t undercut justification for Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico.

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6 a.m.

The federal government has provided the most complete statistical snapshot of immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. Border Patrol arrests plunged to a 45-year low while arrests by deportation officers soared.

Numbers released Tuesday show the Border Patrol made nearly 311,000 arrests during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, a decline of 25 percent from a year earlier and the lowest level since 1971. Despite the significant decline, arrests increased every month since May, largely families and unaccompanied children.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose officers pick up people for deportation away from the border, made more than 140,000 arrests, an increase of 25 percent from a year earlier. After Trump took office, ICE arrests surged 40 percent from the same period a year earlier.

MEXICO, Mo. (AP) – A former high school band director in Missouri has been sentenced to eight years in prison for inappropriately touching a student but may be released on probation much sooner.

The Columbia Missourian reports that 44-year-old Robert Victor Cortez was sentenced Monday for two counts of sexual contact with a student. Under the sentence, the former band director at Mexico High School may be eligible to be released on probation if he successfully completes a 120-day assessment program.

Authorities say the crimes took place in September 2016 during homecoming festivities, although not on school property.

Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger said that “the victim and his family felt strongly that Cortez should face a strict and severe punishment” but not “serve the maximum sentence unless he violates his probation.”

 

Members of the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) took policy positions on issues affecting their common business interests during the group’s annual business meeting December 1 in Wichita. The process of gathering member input on these issues began in November at regional roundtable meetings across the state, continued during committee and council meetings and concluded with final consideration and approval from the general membership at the KLA Convention.

“Many KLA members were involved in forming policy for the year ahead,” said KLA President Lee Reeve, a cattle feeder and farmer from Garden City. “While the entire membership may not unanimously agree on every resolution, we understand working together gives us a more powerful voice and is in the best interests of our businesses and our industry.”

Among the new resolutions is one supporting modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement in a way that protects current provisions favorable to beef and other U.S. ag product exports. Canada and Mexico are two of the largest international customers for U.S. beef.

Members voted to support an exemption from Electronic Logging Device requirements for livestock haulers while modifications to the hours of service (HOS) rules are being sought. Producers and animal care specialists believe the current HOS standard is not practical and will compromise animal welfare.

New KLA policy supports federal legislation to improve livestock disaster programs, including an increase in payment limitations for the Livestock Indemnity Program and Emergency Conservation Program. This legislation addresses shortcomings identified in the wake of wildfires, blizzards and other natural disasters in Kansas the past several years.

The membership approved an amendment to existing policy supporting a mandatory national individual animal identification system for disease traceability. Language in the resolution suggests the system should minimize costs to producers, optimize the role of the private sector in administering the program and protect the confidentiality of individual animal owner records.

Another amended resolution opposes legislation that would increase the current amount of acres that can be enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.

KLA members approved new policy supporting federal legislation to create a Dealer Statutory Trust. This trust would give unpaid cash sellers first priority to livestock and the proceeds or accounts receivable when there is a livestock dealer default.

A new resolution opposes allowing food products not derived from livestock or dairy production to use nomenclature typically associated with meat and milk. Members support legislative, regulatory or judicial action to protect livestock and dairy nomenclature from piracy.

The new resolution addressing state water plan funding is based on the fact that ranchers and farmers pay a disproportionately larger amount of fees in relation to agriculture’s benefit from the plan. Therefore, members oppose any attempt to increase fees paid by irrigators and other agricultural water users in order to fund the plan.

Members approved policy on conservation easement funding. Support was expressed for state legislation to create a Kansas conservation easement funding source, preferably through the Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Conservation. Members oppose state legislation that would prohibit Kansas landowners from voluntarily agreeing to a perpetual conservation easement agreement.

Policy retained by KLA members supports current state laws prohibiting local units of government from enacting any regulations that apply to agricultural land use or the construction and maintenance of buildings used for agricultural purposes outside of city limits. Any attempt to weaken agriculture’s exemption from local zoning authority is opposed by KLA.

In all, KLA members approved 61 resolutions for 2018. Other issues addressed in KLA policy range from animal care to limited transferable deer hunting permits for landowners.

KLA is a 5,400-member trade organization representing the state’s livestock business on legislative, regulatory and industry issues at both the state and federal levels. The association’s work is funded through voluntary dues dollars paid by its members.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Parson wants the head of the St. Louis Veterans Home removed in response to claims that patients are being mistreated.

Parson on Monday called for Administrator Rolando Carter’s ouster. He alleged that there have been issues with medications, turnover and transparency. The lieutenant governor also wants the assistant administrator out.

Neither Carter nor his second-in-command immediately responded to Associated Press requests for comment Monday.

Calls for a change of leadership follow months of complaints by some families and staff that patients are receiving poor care.

Carter previously told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that complaints are minor. He said he’s instituted changes in response.

Previous investigations haven’t uncovered any wrongdoing. Another investigation by the Department of Public Safety is ongoing.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are headed toward considering their second big tax increase within a year because of a state Supreme Court order to increase spending on public schools.

Lawmakers formally kicked off their work Monday on a response to the court’s order in October that the state’s aid to public schools is inadequate under the state constitution.

The justice’s ruling came despite a new law that phased in a $293 million increase over two years, to raise it to $4.3 billion annually.

A joint committee appointed by legislative leaders had its first meeting Monday, and it reviewed projections from legislative researchers that the state could face projected budget shortfalls after July 2019.

That’s even with the $600 million-a-year income tax increase lawmakers passed earlier this year to help balance the budget.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Payless ShoeSource is putting its corporate headquarters in Topeka up for sale.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the company is seeking $8.5 million for the headquarters, amid rumors that Payless might leave Topeka.

Payless emerged from bankruptcy in August. In early November, company spokeswoman Meghan Spreer said the company was evaluating its structure.

In mid-November, 170 employees were laid off. That came after another 165 employees were laid off in January, and information technology jobs were outsourced.

Spreer confirmed Monday the company is seeking to sell its headquarters.

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Law enforcement authorities continue investigating after a witness reported seeing a man force a woman into the trunk of a car in suburban Kansas City.

Lee’s Summit police say the witness called Saturday night to report seeing a man jump out of a car that was stopped in the middle of a street. The witness told police the car sped off after a woman with shoulder length brown hair was put into the trunk. She was wearing a red shirt. The car was described as a cream colored Chevrolet Malibu.

Police say officers canvassed the area working to gather surveillance footage and talk to additional witnesses. Police haven’t determined what happened, including whether the incident was a domestic disturbance.

Police did report the suspect was a white male but have said they have not been able to substantiate any additional information, according to a social media report.