Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is demanding records from St. Louis and Kansas City officials as well as major transportation companies to determine the extent of their involvement with the flying of illegal immigrants through Missouri.
Bailey also has directed letters to every county clerk and prosecutor in the state to offer assistance in ensuring Missouri’s elections are carried out in accordance with the law amongst the wave of illegal immigration.
“Under Joe Biden and Border Czar Kamala Harris’ administration, there has been an orchestrated lack of enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws,” Bailey said August 4. “That failure has not only led to impeachment proceedings against top officials in the federal government; it has given rise to an unprecedented level of state actions necessary to fill the vacuum created by the federal government’s ineptitude.
Bailey
| File photo
“The chaos unleashed at our open southern border has wreaked havoc on our communities, and now the individual states, including the State of Missouri, must stand in the gap as the federal government refuses to act.”
Last week, Bailey’s office filed a lawsuit against the federal government for refusing to turn over documents relating to the flying of illegal immigrants into Missouri. Based upon further evidence he says show the administration has flown illegal aliens into St. Louis and Kansas City, Bailey also has issued requests for documents to the respective cities and their airports.
He also directed warning letters to all major airlines and transportation companies, reminding them that state law bars the knowing transportation of illegal immigrants through Missouri.
In the letter to transportation companies, Bailey says Missourians “do not believe in mass illegal immigration, and have legislated accordingly. Missouri law makes ‘[t]ransportation of an illegal alien’ into or through Missouri a class D felony. As a company or organization that facilitates transport of persons in or through Missouri, you are subject to this law.”
Bailey also directed letters to Missouri’s county clerks and prosecutors offering assistance in ensuring Missouri’s elections remain secure. Because he says budgets are stretched thin, Bailey specifically offered assistance in prosecuting those who commit crimes while in Missouri illegally, especially those attempting to vote.
“Among the most urgent issues facing our nation today is the flood of illegal aliens coming across our borders,” he wrote in the letters. “Every state is dealing with a flood of negative impacts from nearly unrestricted immigration.
“By some estimates, there are over 72,000 illegal aliens in the State of Missouri. I am writing to assure you that you are not alone in the fight to protect our communities.”
Voting without proper documentation and registration or knowingly helping someone to vote who is not qualified to do so is a class one election offense under Missouri law. To vote in Missouri, a person must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Missouri and at least 18 years-old. A photo ID must be provided in order for the county clerk to verify each applicant’s identity.
Bailey also offered up his team of prosecutors, victim advocates and other state resources to aid county officials.