Eighteen people were arrested Monday afternoon during a protest at Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office.

Dozens of protesters with the Poor People’s Campaign entered the building at 120 S.W. 10th Avenue around 1:30 p.m.

Kevin Bryant, of Manhattan, said an officer with the Capitol Police made an announcement that they were subject to arrest.

While one group was led out of the building, a smaller contingent stayed understanding they would be arrested.

“It would be nice if he’d (Kobach) have come and listened to his constituents,” Bryant said.

The event was the second protest that is part of a 30-state, six-week program. Last week, two dozen protesters were issued citations for blocking a downtown intersection. This week’s theme focused on systemic racism.

Protesters honed in on Kobach, chanting against his immigration and voting rights policies.

Kobach, who is running for governor, has championed stricter voter registration laws to prevent noncitizens from voting. However at a trial last month, he struggled to provide evidence to support claims of widespread voter fraud and was also found in contempt of court. Kobach has also been an outspoken opponent of sanctuary cities and benefits such as in-state tuition for undocumented students.

In response to Monday’s protest, Kobach released a statement defending his stances.

“What these protesters do not seem to understand is that the law is the law, and illegal means illegal,” Kobach said. “I have fought illegal immigration throughout my entire career. When I am governor, Kansas will stop giving in-state tuition to illegals, and sanctuary cities will cease to exist in the state.”

The building was locked and several Capitol Police vehicles responded to the scene.

Organizer Rachel Shivers called Kobach the “lead architect of voter suppression across Kansas and across the nation,” and said that he has promoted an “anti-immigrant sentiment.”

Several speakers shared their experiences.

Monica Ramero, a student at Kansas State University, spoke about her family’s struggle to build a better life in the U.S. and the importance of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Rev. Letiah Fraser, of Kansas City, Kan., talked about the “preschool to prison pipeline.”

“Jail bars are now the new form of enslavement,” Fraser said.

She also recalled how her parents had the “race talk” with her and her brothers.

“At a young age, I also remember my parents sat my brothers and I down to have the race talk,” Fraser told the crowd. “My brother was told that when he saw a police officer, they were not his friends. That if and when he was stopped by a police officer, he was to do anything they said because it is a matter of life or death.”

Often protesters responded by yelling, “That ain’t right,” in response to the speakers’ stories.

Moussa Elbayoumy, board chariman of Council on American-Islamic Relations Kansas, spoke about Islamophobia.

He said artificial lines have been created to stoke divisiveness, adding that various groups need to stand together.

“Our issues are the same, our plight is the same, our struggle is the same and our fight has to be the same,” Elbayoumy said. “We have to stand side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, fighting together for our freedom, for our voice and for our rights.”

Just before 2:30 p.m., the group of arrested protesters, in handcuffs or zip ties, were led out of the building and loaded onto an awaiting bus.

Protesters continued speaking on the west side of the building until 3 p.m., when a Capitol Police officer told them the gathering wasn’t permitted.

They moved across the street to the south steps of the Kansas Statehouse where they had a planned news conference.

Eighteen people were arrested in connection with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor, said Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Adam Winters.