Secretary of State Kris Kobach is again pushing bad immigration legislation.

Given Kobach’s penchant for political theatrics, there’s no surprise that he is behind a couple of bills that score political points but don’t help Kansans. What will be surprising is if legislators let either bill see the light of day.

First, Kobach wants to authorize the Kansas Highway Patrol to enforce federal immigration law. Second, he wants to ban Kansas cities and counties from adopting sanctuary policies. State Rep. John Whitmer, R-Wichita, is sponsoring the bills in the House while Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, is sponsoring the bills in the Senate.

Both bills are unnecessary.

HB 2274 authorizes the superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol to negotiate a memorandum of understanding between Kansas and the Department of Homeland Security on enforcement of federal immigration laws. Such legislation might make anti-immigration advocates excited but it would accomplish little and might actually put people in harm’s way.

In the course of investigating crimes and making traffic stops, Kansas Highway Patrol officers arrest individuals who turn out to be in the country illegally. Those immigrants can be detained and turned over to federal authorities. It’s a system that works well.

There certainly is no indication that illegal immigration has become such an overwhelming problem that the Department of Homeland Security needs the Kansas Highway Patrol’s help. Besides, how much is it going to cost to train Highway Patrol officers to handle this new duty? And did Kobach consider whether the highway patrol, already stretched thin by years of budget cuts, can afford to take on this assignment?

Similarly, the sanctuary bill, HB 2275, is politically driven with little evidence that it is needed. Communities designated as sanctuaries generally place limits on cooperation with federal authorities when it comes to reporting or detaining illegal immigrants. There is no evidence that such designations have had any impact on immigration in Kansas. Certainly, threatening those communities with loss of all state funds is both mean-spirited and unwarranted.

As they work through complex discussions on Kansas tax policies, the state’s legislators can ill afford political distractions like the one Kobach and his minions have offered. Both HB 2274 and HB 2275 should be rejected.