Immigration issue fuels Blunt trip
By Jake Wagman
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Nov. 27 2007

Gov. Matt Blunt crisscrossed the state Monday announcing plans to expand his
crackdown on illegal immigration, the latest piece of a get-tough policy that
could resonate with voters.

Blunt wants to strengthen the state's law against issuing drivers licenses to
illegal immigrants — including stiff penalties for those who help illegals get
a license.

The move gives Blunt an issue that can appeal to voters in both parties at a
time when he faces a tough re-election battle.

Blunt's stance also comes as immigration reform — and specifically, the issue
of drivers licenses — has touched off a heated national debate.

On Monday, Blunt stopped in Springfield, Kansas City, Cape Girardeau and St.
Louis police headquarters to unveil the drivers license proposal, part of a
string of recent moves aimed at curbing illegal immigration.

"Missourians have been waiting for Washington to take action on illegal
immigration, but with very few results," Blunt said in St. Louis. "Our
frustration and the problem have only grown."

Illegal immigrants are already prohibited from receiving a drivers license in
Missouri. Guidelines that took effect in July 2005 require applicants to show
"proof of lawful presence" before being allowed to drive. Even immigrants in
the country legally can only get a temporary license, good for the length of
their visa.

Under the existing law, anyone who acquires a drivers license using fake
documents, or helps someone obtain a license fraudulently, can lose driving
privileges for a year.

Blunt did not provide specifics on how his proposal differs. The governor gave
only a broad outline that he will push to the Legislature next year: a law that
specifically prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining drivers licenses and
provides criminal penalties, including possible jail time, for anyone who helps
them get one.

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democrat trying to unseat Blunt in 2008,
dismissed Monday's announcement as a "political stunt."

"Giving licenses to illegal immigrants is already against the law in Missouri,"
said Nixon's campaign spokesman, Oren Shur.

Hispanic leaders were not surprised by the announcement. Several met with the
governor recently, when they were briefed about his plan. One official at the
meeting said he understands the political reality for Blunt.

"We're trying to be pragmatic about this," said Jorge Riopedre, chairman of the
legislative affairs committee for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro St.
Louis. "The governor is simply not in a situation to sit on his hands and do
nothing. There are too many people in Missouri that want some type of
enforcement action."

A recent poll for the Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV (Channel 4) found that concern
about illegal immigration could help Blunt.

Among those polled, almost two-thirds said they favored Blunt's directive
earlier this year to the state Highway Patrol to check the residency or
immigration status of people who are arrested or jailed.

About four of every five Republicans who were surveyed backed the policy, as
did nearly half of Democrats.

That support comes despite Missouri's relatively small immigrant population,
compared with states such as California and Texas. Hispanics make up less than
3 percent of Missouri's population, according to census figures, which attempt
to account for illegal immigrants.

Blunt, however, insisted that immigration is an important issue for state
residents and denied that he was playing politics.

"I don't think you need a poll to know this is a concern for Missouri
families," he said.

The issue gained prominence locally in September when a car driven by an
illegal immigrant plowed into a restaurant in downtown Clayton, injuring three
people. The driver did not have a U.S. license.

One of those injured, James Travaglini, who was eating lunch with his wife that
day, said Monday that he is not sold on Blunt's plan.

Beefing up laws on drivers licenses, he said, won't stop illegal immigrants
from getting behind the wheel.

"How do you stop somebody from driving?" Travaglini said. "Just because you
pass a law does not mean they are not going to drive."

Blunt has sharpened his stance on immigration as another controversy has flared
around him. The governor's office has drawn fire for months after initially
acknowledging it routinely deleted office e-mails, even if they dealt with
state business.

The episode led to a new chief of staff for Blunt and prompted Nixon to set up
an investigation of how e-mails are treated in the governor's office. Blunt
recently unveiled a new e-mail retention policy.

Monday's announcement is the latest in a series of steps by Blunt targeting
illegal immigration. In March, he canceled the contract of a cleaning firm
that, while cleaning a state office building, was raided by federal agents for
using illegal immigrants.

Earlier this month, a state development board, at Blunt's urging, backed new
rules that could place heavy sanctions on builders who fail to verify that
workers on publicly subsidized projects are in the country legally.

On Monday, the governor framed his plan as a reaction to a failed attempt by
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, to give illegal immigrants access to a
state drivers license.

"A plan like that might sound good to politicians in New York City or
Washington," Blunt said, "but it doesn't make sense right here in Missouri."

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