Missouri remains behind in illegal immigration legislation
By CHRIS BLANK/The Associated Press
June 8, 2008 | 8:19 p.m. CST

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri politicians say they sprinted toward the front in the national race to crack down on illegal immigration, but the front-runners still have a comfortable lead.

Missouri’s legislation includes mandates for employers and police and penalties for illegal immigrants and cities that don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The bill has a lot of stuff. But like students who adjusted their fonts to make a report seem longer, Missouri lawmakers made the bill appear to be tougher than it really is. They added less controversial provisions while pulling back and essentially splitting the difference when they ran into opposition to regulating and punishing employers.

And it’s a willingness to make businesses use E-Verify to check the immigration status of workers and to punish employers caught hiring illegal immigrants that separates significant legislation from what one think-tank executive called “political posturing.â€