Thread: Blunt asks for faster authorization for Immigration and Cust

Blunt asks for faster authorization for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents

http://www.news-leader.com

Jefferson City ? Gov. Matt Blunt today asked Missouri?s Congressional Delegation to help expedite his request for authority to allow state law enforcement officers to help enforce immigration laws as federally deputized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

?As you well know, the fight against illegal immigration is important to Missouri as a whole, and to individual Missouri families,? Blunt wrote in a letter to Missouri?s senators and representatives. ?This designation will enable specially trained law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws, under the supervision of ICE, commensurate with their day-to-day law enforcement duties. Missourians rightfully expect and deserve to have federal immigration laws enforced.?

Blunt?s administration is currently working with ICE for authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to help enforce immigration laws. The governor is asking for Missouri?s representatives in Washington to stand behind his call to help step up law enforcement in the state. Under the agreement, participating state troopers, capitol police and water patrol officers would receive appropriate training from ICE and function in the field under the supervision of ICE officers. Missouri would be one of only seven states to have taken this important step to empower state law enforcement to effectively fight illegal immigration.

Blunt directed his staff to examine the costs related to expenses from the training and implementation. He plans to seek funding in next year?s budget to help state and local law enforcement agencies pursue the cooperative agreement and help enhance public safety.

The governor also directed all state law enforcement agencies to immediately take the steps necessary to verify the immigration status of every criminal presented for incarceration. Since Blunt?s directive, state law enforcement have conducted 978 background checks and detained 61 illegal immigrants.

In addition, Blunt took significant steps to shield taxpayers? money from supporting building projects that employ illegal workers including:

?Conducting random on-site inspections of all projects accompanied by the tax credit recipient to monitor and retrieve documentation regarding the legal status of all workers on the job. The inspections will include direct employees of the tax credit recipient, contracted or subcontracted agents and both general contractors and their subcontractors.

?Performing a Compliance By Written Demand action for all tax credit recipients that requires all workers? proof of legal status including contractors and subcontractors to be submitted within 30 days of the date of the recipient of the written request.

Blunt is a strong advocate for protecting Missouri from illegal activity. He recently issued a letter to the Missouri Housing Development Commission outlining principles for the commission to consider regarding illegal immigration that include possible sanctions of up to a lifetime ban of contractors and developers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants in violation of federal law.

The letter follows the governor?s tough stand against illegal immigration. Earlier this year, Blunt ousted a state contractor who hired illegal workers and ordered state agencies to enact a no tolerance policy through tough new contract protections. Blunt canceled the state?s contract with Sam?s Janitorial Services and barred them from doing further business with the state after local and federal law enforcement agencies identified dozens of illegal immigrants working under falsified documents.

Blunt also authored the state?s first directive to audit all contractors to ensure that the contract employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S. and to terminate contracts if it is determined a contractor employs illegal immigrants. He added tough provisions in state contracts to allow the state to immediately cancel contracts if it determines the contractor knowingly has employees not eligible to work in the U.S. and to require contractors to certify that all their employees meet state and federal employment eligibility requirements.

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quote]Jefferson City ? Gov. Matt Blunt today asked Missouri?s Congressional Delegation to help expedite his request for authority to allow state law enforcement officers to help enforce immigration laws as federally deputized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

It is too bad all Governors couldn't reflect Gov. Matt Blunt's way of governing.

I know California needs to model their way of governing after his philosophy. Of course, we know that is not going to happen in California

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