Thread: Filed immigration bill drawing mixed reactions - MO

kctv5.com
By Laura McCallister, Multimedia Producer
By Eric Chaloux, Reporter
Updated: Jan 10, 2012 7:28 PM EST

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (KCTV) -

A bill filed by a Lee's Summit senator is focusing on immigration, and while it hasn't had any hearings yet, it's drawing a lot of reaction from around the state.

"I didn't think there would be that many groups so opposed to collecting information," said Sen. Will Kraus, who wrote Senate Bill 590.

"We are impacted here because the federal government here has failed to do their job. This bill simply would give us the actual data - impact and cost to Missouri taxpayers for the federal government's failure to enforce immigration laws," he said.

Part of Kraus' bill would require Missouri schools to check the immigration status of students. Kansas City School Board President Airick Leonard West said he feels that may keep students away from attending school. West was part of a group that included immigrant advocacy groups that spoke in teleconference Tuesday against the bill.

"Some of our scholars may be intimidated away from participating in their classes - a reality that directly undermines our effort to regain accreditation. If passed, this legislation could unfairly disadvantage any school districts serving a population of families that includes undocumented scholars. At a time when our district needs to gain the trust and cooperation of parents to increase our average daily attendance – one of the standards of accreditation – this bill sabotages that effort by creating a hostile and intimidating relationship between our district and its families," West said.

Another part of Kraus' bill would give local police the ability to question a person's citizenship at a traffic stop. The senator feels the extra work for police officers would not be a burden.

"He (the officer) has to have reasonable suspicion. To actually call ICE to run that individual, it is up to the officer's discretion," Kraus said.

The Missouri bill could join a list of a handful of other states trying to address illegal immigration.

Later this spring, the U.S. Supreme Court plans to chime in on the other state immigration-based laws.

To read Kraus' full statement on his bill, click on the link to the right of this story.

Filed immigration bill drawing mixed reactions - KCTV 5

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http://www.alipac.us/content/filed-i...actions-mo-47/

"I didn't think there would be that many groups so opposed to collecting information," said Sen. Will Kraus, who wrote Senate Bill 590.

It's because they know that once the facts get out they'll no longer be able to lie about the impact to budgets and education overall created by the mass influx of students needing ESL classes. With this information some one will then extrapolate the cost burden of other social services programs these invaders are using.

kctv5.com
he Associated Press
Updated: Jan 11, 2012 1:10 PM EST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A bill that would require public schools to verify the immigration status of incoming students is drawing fire from an interest group.

The Kansas City Star reported that (Missouri schools would be required to verify immigration status of students under new proposal - KansasCity.com) similar laws have been passed in Alabama and Arizona. In both states, federal judges have blocked implementation of parts of the laws, with the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing to hear arguments on Arizona's law. The Supreme Court repeatedly has ruled that children have a right to attend public schools regardless of immigration status.

The sponsor of the Missouri legislation, Sen. Will Kraus, a Lee's Summit Republican, said his bill would lead to better tracking but wouldn't keep out students.

But Vanessa Crawford, executive director of Missouri Immigration and Refugee Advocates, called the legislation a "really bad idea." Under the bill, schools would be required to ask new students for either a birth certificate or proof they are in the country legally.

"This would force police and school officials to act as immigration agents, and would result in innocent people facing harassment," Crawford said. "And passing a law that will undoubtedly end up in court is irresponsible."

Kraus said the bill is part of an effort to force Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster to sue the federal government to recoup the cost of enforcing federal immigration laws.

"1 of the objections we encountered was that there was no known cost to the state. Based on those comments, I asked my office to reach out to state agencies to find out who actually tracked the cost of illegal immigration on Missouri taxpayers," Kraus said. "The results were underwhelming as we found most agencies have no idea of the true cost to taxpayers."

The bill, which has not been scheduled for a hearing, would require reporting on the number of illegal immigrant students and how many of them are enrolled in programs to help them learn English. Cost information would be part of the report.

Although the bill would bar information about individual students from being released, critics say it would spook families and result in children being pulled out of school.

Schools reported an increase in absences among Hispanic students after the Alabama law went into effect. Airick Leonard West, board president of Kansas City Public Schools, said a similar reaction could be expected in Missouri.

"At a time when our district needs to gain the trust and cooperation of parents to increase our average daily attendance - 1 of the standards of accreditation - this bill sabotages that effort by creating a hostile and intimidating relationship between our district and its families," West said.

The bill also would require law enforcement officers to check immigration status during all stops if they have reasonable cause, and would make failure to carry proper citizenship documentation a state misdemeanor.

Kraus said officers already check immigration status after arrests and that his bill simply would extend that to include all stops. He said the new state misdemeanor simply would mirror federal law.

"None of these proposed items have any significant punitive provision above what is already in current federal law," Kraus said.


Mo. bill would make schools immigration monitors - KCTV 5

komu.com
by Todd Tumminia
Updated: Jan 10, 2012 10:46 PM

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates planned a conference call Tuesday where callers spoke to the problems that a Missouri Senate bill could cause. Ken Schmitt, Chair of American Immigration Lawyers Association Missouri/Kansas Chapter, said this bill contained cut and paste parts from the Alabama and Arizona immigration legislation.

The sponsor of the bill, Senator William Kraus, R-Jackson County, said the bill is designed soley to gather numbers about Missouri immigration and then put pressure on the federal government to enforce the immigration laws.

Here is a summary of the bill.

SB 590 - All public elementary and secondary schools shall determine whether enrolling students are born outside of the United States or are children of an unlawfully present alien at the time of enrollment by checking students' original birth certificates or certified copies thereof. If it is determined that a student was born outside of the United States or is the child of an unlawfully present alien, the parent or guardian shall notify the school of the actual citizenship or immigration status of the child with accompanying documentation.

The State Board of Education shall compile and submit an annual report to the General Assembly containing information regarding immigration classifications of enrolled students, numbers of participants in English as a second language programs, and the effects of education quality as a result of enrollment of unlawfully present aliens and the costs associated. Public disclosure of information which personally identifies a student shall be unlawful.

Upon any lawful stop, detention, or arrest, law enforcement shall determine the citizenship and immigration status of the person if there is reasonable suspicion that the person is an unlawfully present alien. If an alien is determined by the federal government to be unlawfully present, the law enforcement agency shall cooperate in the transfer of the alien into federal custody.

The act creates a Class C misdemeanor crime of willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration document if the person is unlawfully present and in violation of 8 U.S.C. 1304 or 8 U.S.C. 1306 which requires certain persons to carry alien registration documents, apply for alien registration, and be fingerprinted.

Missouri Senate Bill Targets Immigration | KOMU.com | Columbia, MO |

nbcactionnews.com
Posted: 6:07 PM
Last Updated: 20 hours and 23 minutes ago

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri could soon join the ranks of Arizona and Alabama when it comes to laws cracking down on illegal immigration.

Senator Will Kraus from Lee’s Summit has introduced a bill requiring police check the immigration status of anyone pulled over or arrested if they have probable cause.

If the person is determined to be an illegal immigrant, they will be transferred into federal custody.

Immigration activists fear the law will affect everyone from education, to farmers to the entire state economy.

"This will create an unnecessary burden on the police. They will then spend their time going after many innocent people or undocumented people and this would waste the time of the police department," said Faizan Syed, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations

The activists said the law could mean more people will move out of Missouri or stop immigrants from moving to the Show Me state.

Another part of the bill would require schools to check original birth certificates if they think the child may have been born outside the United States and enrolled in the English as a Second Language program.

That information would then be turned over to the State board of Education.

No word on when lawmakers will take up the bill.

Read more: A new bill introduced in Missouri is causing concern among immigration activists

January 16, 2012

School officials question immigration bill

By Kelsey Ryan
Mon Jan 16, 2012, 07:56 PM CST

CARTHAGE, Mo. — A bill in the Missouri Senate that would require public schools to verify the immigration status of incoming students is drawing heat from local school leaders who fear they could be turned into “immigration police.”

The bill, if passed into law, could create a burden on the state’s school districts, critics say.

Senate Bill 590 has a hearing scheduled today before the General Laws Committee. The bill would require public elementary and secondary schools to determine if new students were born in the U.S. or if they are children of immigrants by checking birth certificates or certified copies.

Additionally, it would require the State Board of Education to compile a report for the General Assembly detailing the immigration classification of students and the number who are in English as a Second Language programs, along with the costs involved.

Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, a member of the General Laws Committee, said he has read the bill. He said he is reserving judgment until the hearing.

“It’s a lot of controversial material, and I try to keep an open mind,” Richard said. “I’ll keep getting more information, and we’ll see what happens.”

Carthage Superintendent Blaine Henningsen said he thinks it would be difficult for schools to determine the immigrant status of every child, but they would try their best if the measure is enacted.

About 25 percent of Carthage’s 4,300 students are English language learners, and that demographic has increased at a steady rate over the past four years, Henningsen said.

The Carthage School District has two groups to help bridge the communication barrier between teachers and Hispanic parents: Club Sabatino and the Hispanic Advisory Committee, which was a result of the Carthage 2020 initiative.

“We are charged with the task of educating kids, and what we’ve done is educate any student that’s shown up at our door,” Henningsen said. “To put a policing status on school districts, basically to have the task of determining who is a legitimate American citizen and who isn’t, is beyond the scope of what we do.”

Henningsen said the burden of the legislation also might be felt financially.

“We’re watching the state budget in Jefferson City, and there’s definitely a shortfall with the budget,” he said. “For the state to add something more to our platter is not really realistic at this time.”

Monett Superintendent John Jungmann echoed Henningsen’s sentiments.

“We’re not here to run immigration; we’re here to educate kids,” Jungmann said. “We want to keep our focus on educating students. We try to partner with families to support their education, and this could certainly put a hurdle in the process.”

About 20 percent of Monett’s 2,300 students are English language learners, Jungmann said. The district continues to see a steady increase in that population, he said. The district has a parent advisory council for English language learners.

Said Jungmann: “If kids were scared to go to school, or if it made parents afraid to send kids to school because the schools were made to become immigration police, that could negatively impact their performance and their desire to come to our school, which impacts our community.”

This kind of legislation is surfacing across the country, said Vanessa Crawford, executive director of Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates. She said Senate Bill 590 is similar to laws enacted in Alabama and Arizona. Parts of those laws have been blocked by federal judges, and the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider the Arizona law.

In Alabama, Crawford said, some families stopped sending their children to school because they were afraid of the legislation that was in effect for about a week before it was blocked by the court.

“It sets fears in the immigrant community, with good reason: The stakes are very high,” Crawford said. “Legislation like this doesn’t have to be racially motivated to have a racial effect ... People tend to think of the Hispanic community, but it’s truly a much broader issue than that.”

The proposal would prohibit the release of information about individual students, and the sponsor has said the bill would lead to better tracking of students but wouldn’t keep them out of schools.

Crawford said her organization will have witnesses at today’s hearing in Jefferson City.

The sponsor of the bill is Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit. His office released a statement last week about the proposed legislation:

“Immigration is ultimately a federal issue, and the solution will be a federal solution. But until a solution is reached, the impact of the federal government’s lack of enforcement is being felt at the state level. As fiscal stewards of our residents’ tax dollars, we have a responsibility to determine that impact.”


Another provision

UNDER THE BILL, law enforcement officers would be required to determine the immigration status of people at traffic stops if they have reasonable cause to do so. Failure to carry proper citizenship documentation would be a state misdemeanor.

School officials question immigration bill » Local News » The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO