Captiol Report for June 11th, 2008

Illegal immigration has presented a number of challenges and demands that directly impact law abiding citizens. Illegal immigrants have been able to access and exploit many government programs that are paid for by Missouri’s hard working families and are intended for Missouri’s citizens who cannot help themselves. This exploitation has left fewer resources available to those individuals and children who follow our laws and are in need. As our economic growth slows and our revenue growth becomes less certain, this strain on the system will only increase.
While the exploitation of government-funded programs has created challenges, the greatest impact has been made on Missouri jobs. Illegal immigrants often depress wages because they are willing to accept wages that are below market conditions thereby eliminating thousands of jobs that were once held by legal residents. To compound this problem, many of the wages earned by illegal immigrants are often sent outside this country, which removes these resources from our economic cycle.
Missourians have demanded action that aggressively combats illegal immigration. While the federal government has sat idle, the state legislature worked hard this year to pass a legislative package which eliminates access to taxpayer provided benefits and targets employers who knowingly break the law by employing illegal immigrants. Additionally, this legislation empowers law enforcement to detain illegal immigrants while providing the legal protections necessary to prevent individuals or political subdivisions from interfering with their actions. I believe this legislation is a reasonable approach to protecting the rights of hard working Missourians while respecting the legal immigrants who follow the laws when entering our state and country. I am hopeful that our actions at the state level will protect Missouri’s working families while we continue to push for comprehensive action at the federal level.
As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is brad.lager@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 429, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.