梅根·菲利普斯是民主党候选人，将在11月3日的中期选举中角逐堪萨斯州第8选区州议员席位。在选举前夕，她独家接受了Hm采访，谈及包括该州移民与海关执法局（ICE）活动在内的多个议题的看法。
Megan Phillips is the Democratic Party candidate running for the Kansas State District 8 seat in the November 3 midterms. Ahead of the elections, she spoke exclusively to Hm about her views on various matters, including ICE activity in the state.
根据Census Reporter的数据，菲利普斯寻求代表的第8选区亚裔人口占比为9%，是全堪萨斯州平均水平的两倍多。报告进一步指出，在白人之后，亚裔构成该选区第二大族群。然而，过去亚裔曾抱怨存在表演式的盟友关系。
堪萨斯城公共广播电台（KCUR）2022年援引一位当地人士的话报道：“这种盟友关系非常表演化，实在令人遗憾。比如，一旦亚太裔传统月结束，他们就像说‘好吧，让我们继续前行’一样。”
Phillips seeks to represent District 8 which has an Asian population of 9 percent, more than double of the numbers across Kansas, as per Census Reporter. Asians make up the largest demography after Whites, the report further noted. However, in the past Asians have complained about performative allyship.“The allyship is very performative, and it’s really unfortunate. Like, once AAPI month is over, they’re like, ‘OK, let’s move on',” KCUR reported a local say in 2022.
更早之前，2017年，两名印度裔男子——斯里尼瓦斯·库奇布霍特拉和阿洛克·马达萨尼——在邻近的奥拉西遭枪手枪击，枪手高呼“滚出我的国家”，误以为他们是伊朗人。
Further back, in 2017, two Indian men – Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani – were shot by a gunman, in neighboring Olathe, who yelled ‘get out of my country’ believing them to be Iranians.US joins Russia, Belarus; Trump administration refuses international election observers for midtermsNow, anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies have fueled ‘alarming’ levels of anti-South Asian hate, online and on the ground, Stop AAPI Hate noted.
美国加入俄罗斯、白俄罗斯行列；特朗普政府拒绝国际选举观察员监督中期选举如今，反移民言论和政策助长了“令人震惊”水平的反南亚裔仇恨，无论是在线上还是现实中，“制止仇恨亚太裔”（Stop AAPI Hate）组织指出。然而，菲利普斯承诺，如果她当选堪萨斯州第8选区州议员，情况将会不同。梅根·菲利普斯在种族主义、ICE活动问题上表态强硬菲利普斯对堪萨斯州的ICE活动表示担忧。
However, Phillips promises that things will be different with her as the Kansas State District 8 representative. Megan Phillips takes strong stance on racism, ICE activitiesPhillips expressed concern about ICE activities in Kansas.
她抨击ICE的“种族主义议程”，并表示希望今后在政府处理移民问题上“看到重大改革”。“人们不应该因为害怕被从街上抓走、无限期关进拘留中心、且不享有正当程序、无法与外界联系，而不敢去上班、上学或赴医疗预约。这是不人道的，”菲利普斯说。
She slammed their ‘racist agendas’ and said she wanted to ‘see significant reform’ in how the government managed immigration concerns, going forward. “People should not be afraid to go to work, school, or doctor's appointments for fear that they may be picked up off the street and thrown into detention centers indefinitely without due process or communication with the outside world. That is inhumane,” Phillips said.
这位有志成为议员的人补充说，她希望与地方政府合作，帮助保护民众并争取适当的法律程序。特朗普对“2025计划”作者拉塞尔·沃特的“重大惊喜”言论引发对中期选举的担忧谈及种族主义问题，菲利普斯首先向她的潜在选民道歉。“如果我社区里的任何人经历过种族主义或反移民言论，我深表歉意，这是不可接受的。我坚信多元化让社区变得美好，我将致力于支持我所有的选民，无论他们的种族、原籍国、性别、性取向、宗教或文化背景如何，”菲利普斯告诉Hm。
The aspiring lawmaker added that she hoped to work with local governments to help protect the people and fight for proper legal protocol. Trump's ‘big surprises’ remark for Project 2025 author Russ Vought sparks fears about midterm electionsSpeaking about the issues of racism, Phillips began with an apology for her would-be constituents. “I am truly sorry if anyone in my community has experienced racism or anti-immigration rhetoric, and that is unacceptable. I am a firm believer that diversity makes a community great, and I will work to support ALL of my constituents, regardless of their race, country of origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or cultural background,” Phillips told Hm.
她承诺为少数族裔社区工作，保护他们免受可能直接伤害他们的立法行动影响。菲利普斯还表达了强烈愿望，希望让他们的声音被听到。“我希望在多元文化空间举办社区聚会，以便直接听取选民关心的问题。如果当选，这是我能兑现的承诺，”她说。梅根·菲利普斯谈对手克里斯·克罗夫特菲利普斯指出，除了代表堪萨斯州第8选区外，她没有更大的政治抱负。
She promised to work for minority communities and protect them from legislative actions that could directly harm them. Phillips also expressed a strong interest in letting their voices be heard. “I hope to hold community gatherings within diverse cultural spaces so that I can hear directly from my constituents about concerns that matter to them. That is a promise that I can keep if elected,” she said. Megan Phillips on opponent Chris Croft Phillips noted she has no larger political aspirations apart from representing Kansas State District 8.
她是一名心理学家和母亲。解释她选择参加中期选举的原因时，菲利普斯说：“我参选是因为我热爱的学校、我送孩子去的学校正面临威胁。15年来，立法机构长期资助不足堪萨斯州公立学校，导致约2亿美元的赤字。堪萨斯州法律规定，州政府必须按92%的比例报销学校的特殊教育支出，但自2011年以来，他们严重未能达到这一标准。这意味着学校不得不反复自掏腰包，年复一年地削减开支。”
She's a psychologist and a mother. Explaining her choice to contest the midterms, Phillips said “I entered this race because the schools I love, where I send my kids, are under threat. For 15 years, the legislature has chronically underfunded Kansas public schools, resulting in a deficit of about $200 million. Kansas law dictates that the state reimburse schools for their special education expenditures at a rate of 92%, but since 2011, they have woefully missed that mark. This means schools have repeatedly footed the bill and made cuts year after year. We are at the edge of a funding cliff; if things don't change fast, my local school risks closing, much like what happened to our neighbors in Olathe who just voted to close six schools at the end of this school year. I am not going to let that happen.”
我们正处于资金悬崖的边缘；如果情况不迅速好转，我所在的当地学校就面临关闭的风险，就像我们邻近的奥拉西刚刚投票决定在本学年结束时关闭六所学校一样。我绝不会让这种事情发生。”她面对的对手是共和党人克里斯·克罗夫特，一位资深政客，同时也是众议院多数党领袖。然而，菲利普斯并不怎么担心。“我认为克里斯·克罗夫特现在并不特别受欢迎。许多选民和我一样，对他的一些决定以及他说一套做一套的过往记录感到愤怒，”她说。
She faces Republican Chris Croft, a seasoned politician who is also the House Majority Leader. However, Phillips is not all too perturbed. “I don't think Chris Croft is particularly popular right now. Many constituents are as upset as I am about some of his decisions and his track record of saying one thing and doing another,” she said.
Hm 也已联系克罗夫特征求其置评。与此同时，菲利普斯向选民发出呼吁：“我强烈鼓励他们向我提出问题和关切，因为我倾听每一个人的声音，而不仅仅是投我票的人。这份工作是公仆的角色，我打算始终坚守这一点。”
Hm has reached out to Croft as well for his remarks. Phillips, meanwhile, signed off with a message for her voters, saying “I want to strongly encourage them to come to me with questions and concerns because I listen to everyone, not just folks who vote for me. This job is a public servant role and I intend to keep it that way.”