http://lakeexpo.com/articles/2008/03/03/top_news/08.txt

Activists, lawmakers seeking tough immigration measures


By Alyson Raletz/St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
Monday, March 3, 2008 8:30 AM CST


Other states that have cracked the whip on illegal immigration are invading Missouri discussions on a solution.

For good reason, said Carol Helm, founder of the grassroots citizens group, IRON (Immigration Reform for Oklahoma Now), out of Tulsa.

A strict immigration law went into effect there in November that she credits for quieter Tulsa neighborhoods and less strain on state resources.

"In October, we saw a real exodus out of Oklahoma," she said, noting many of the illegal immigrants moved north, with many recently spotted in Wichita, Kan.

"So, they're headed your way," she told the News-Press.

The Oklahoma law prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining government-issued driver's licenses or public assistance. Police can run immigration status checks on anyone they arrest. Also, the law makes it a crime to house or employ illegal immigrants.

Arizona is another state to recently crack down on illegal immigrants. English is the official state language there, and if employers hire undocumented workers, they lose their business licenses.

They're all ideas Missouri lawmakers have pitched this session, where the debate on illegal immigration has peaked.

Gov. Matt Blunt has pushed an effort to keep driver's licenses out of the hands of illegal immigrants.

A member of a House of Representatives immigration committee, Rep. Ed Wildberger, D-St. Joseph, said many legislators are modeling their legislation after Arizona and Oklahoma laws, including some of his own proposals.

"I don't think we're copycatting," Mr. Wildberger said. "I think we're just trying to come up with a bill that will be fair to taxpayers and help to secure jobs."

Mr. Wildberger recently filed HB 2179, which would revoke the business licenses of employers who hired illegal immigrants without checking their legal status on two available federal systems.

His bill also rewards whistle blowers with up to 10 percent of any money recovered by the state for violations.

Suspected illegal immigrants who can't prove their status when they appear in court for unrelated state or municipal violations would be held in jail until they are reported to federal authorities, under his HB 1767.

"All I want to do is to make it so people take the proper legislative steps to become citizens," he said.

Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, is taking a slightly different approach. To take some of the burden off employers, he's requiring non-citizens to register with the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, under HB 2151, also called the Missouri Immigration Act.

The Labor Department then would issue photo IDs to immigrants once their status is deemed legal and create an online database for employers to cross-reference when hiring. Employers wouldn't be able to hire noncitizen workers who don't possess the card.

Also similar to other states, the act creates the crime of being an illegal immigrant in Missouri, which would be a Class D felony.

"Basically, the federal government has dropped the ball and kicked it to the states to handle it," he said of the recent strengthening of immigration law nationwide.

Rep. Jason Brown, R-Platte City, a co-sponsor of several bills involving illegal immigration, said that lawmakers have yet to identify one piece of Missouri legislation as the key solution. He said to expect an upcoming omnibus bill late in the session.

"I believe we ought to utilize and model what we do after the existing Oklahoma legislation," he said. "It's extremely comprehensive. I think that's where we're all headed."

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached

at alysonraletz@npgco.com.

To see more of the St. Joseph News-Press or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stjoenews-press.com/.

Copyright © 2008, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.

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