Immigration groups rally in Kansas

Anti-illegal immigration groups are marshaling their forces in Kansas, saying crackdowns on illegal immigration in neighboring states like Oklahoma and Missouri have driven hordes of undocumented workers to the state.

"They come to the path of least resistance -- and right now that is Kansas," said Susan Tully, national field director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

About 30 people met in Wichita on Thursday to hear representatives from FAIR, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and You Don't Speak for Me during a grass-roots strategy session on how to push local and state measures against illegal immigration.

Among the featured speakers was Carol Helms, director of Immigration Reform for Oklahoma, whose lobbying efforts were credited for passage last spring in Oklahoma of a sweeping anti-illegal immigration law. She gave participants a primer on lobbying tactics for state legislatures.

"Trust me, the masses do care," she said. "They just have to be told what to do."

The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act In Oklahoma, hailed as one of the toughest among the states on illegal immigration, seeks to block undocumented workers from getting jobs by imposing tighter screening procedures on employers. The law also seeks to make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain public benefits.

The Oklahoma measure, which is expected to draw legal challenges, is slated to go into effect on Nov. 1.

In Missouri, Gov. Matt Blunt announced last month a two-pronged crackdown on illegal immigration. He directed Missouri State Highway Patrol officers to check the immigration status of every person they incarcerate. He also directed the Missouri Department of Economic Development to tighten oversight of contractors who receive state tax breaks or funding.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps announced at the Wichita meeting that it planned to hold its national convention Dec. 1 in Kansas City, Mo., citing the controversy in that city sparked by the presence of an anti-illegal immigration activist on the city's park board.

The appointment of Frances Semler, a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, prompted officers of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Council of La Raza to threaten to cancel national conventions in Kansas City.

"The border is no longer in the desert -- it is all over America, and especially in Kansas," said Ed Hayes, Kansas director of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

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