There’s a word for what happened to Lenexa City Council member Melanie Arroyo, and it begins with an “r” and ends with “ism.”
Go ahead. Take a wild guess.
Arroyo was forced to prove her citizenship to city police after someone left a voicemail with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. We subsequently learned that the KBI deleted the message after informing local law enforcement of its contents. That could well conflict with document retention rules, but let’s save that for later. Instead, let’s scrutinize what the statewide crime-fighting agency told Lenexa police via email.
Their words suggest that Kansas has a long way to go in treating residents respectfully and equally.
According to a KBI agent, a man “called with a question regarding the citizenship of a member of the Lenexa City Council. He stated that in February of 2025 Melanie Arroyo (possibly Melanie Arroyo-Lopez), a representative for Ward 3, gave testimony wanting to give illegals more benefits. During this testimony, she acknowledged that she came to this country illegally as a child, but never acknowledged naturalization. He stated that this testimony was posted to the internet. He stated that to be a qualified elector, they had to be registered to vote and be born here or naturalized. He wanted to report this information for investigation.”
Big problems come to mind immediately. Namely that the KBI has passed along a bunch of patently false information.
Not a good look for the agency we depend on to keep Kansans safe.
First off, Arroyo’s full last name is Arroyo Pérez, not Arroyo-Lopez. Those two names actually sound quite different!
Secondly, “gave testimony wanting to give illegals more benefits” patently misstates Arroyo’s testimony. She argued for the continuation of current Kansas policy, not extending or expanding any policy.
Third, the email states that Arroyo “came to this country illegally as a child” based on her legislative testimony. That’s also untrue. She writes that she grew up as an undocumented migrant, but that doesn’t mean she or her family entered the United States illegally. Indeed, in a Kansas City Star op-ed published March 6, Arroyo notes that she came here legally but overstayed a visa.
Finally, the email claims that she “never acknowledged naturalization.” Actually, both the testimony and column state that her undocumented status had been “resolved.”
To summarize, the information that the KBI forwarded to the Lenexa Police Department contains four factual errors. These aren’t the kind of mistakes that take time or effort to uncover, either. You literally just have to read Arroyo’s actual words, as submitted to lawmakers and as published in the region’s newspaper of record.
Did no one at the KBI do this?
Did no one on the Lenexa police force do this?
If not, why?
Taken as a whole, I see clear signs of racism. You can see it in the confusion of last names. You can see it in the use of the word “illegals.” You can see it in the automatic assumption that anyone who looks a certain way, sounds a certain way, comes from a particular background, necessitates scrutiny. As I wrote last week, there’s just as much reason to ask Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach about his citizenship status. (That is, none.)
State and local law enforcement also failed to think critically. Ponder this: Would a Lenexa resident of distinction — a city council member, no less — give public testimony about benefits for undocumented Kansans and not have her own papers in order? Officers were asked to believe Arroyo was somehow willing to risk prison time, removal from office and deportation just so she could voice her opinion on a proposed bill.
The KBI and the Lenexa police force probably didn’t set out with an explicit intention of harming Arroyo. Yet they did not give her the benefit of the doubt, either. They did not consider publicly available sources. They did not treat the recorded words from a “Johnson County man” with the appropriate amount of skepticism or critical thought. They decided that shaming a public official made more sense than questioning their own motives.
Take it from your friendly neighborhood journalist. Public officials in Kansas need to do a better job of checking their sources.
Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.