On Thursday, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey directed a letter to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas putting him on notice that it is a Class D felony to knowingly transport an illegal alien in the State of Missouri. The letter comes after comments Mayor Lucas made welcoming illegal immigrants to Kansas City amidst the largest open border crisis in the nation’s history.
In the letter, Attorney General Bailey wrote, “We are a nation governed by the rule of law. Yet, under the current Administration in Washington, D.C., laws that don’t align with a radically progressive agenda are simply ignored. Chief among these are the laws that prohibit illegal immigration into our country and into the State of Missouri.
“Tragically, these open border policies have real-world consequences. An illegal alien from Venezuela, who had repeatedly flouted U.S. immigration laws, was actually granted a work permit under a misguided and illegal policy enacted by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In February, he brutally murdered a young college student named Laken Hope Riley.
“Yet, against the backdrop of literally millions of illegal aliens flooding our borders, overwhelming the social safety net of large American cities, and in some cases even committing violent crimes against our citizens, you are actively encouraging them to come to the Show Me State. “All are welcome in Kansas City. Proud to work with my fellow mayors [from Denver and NYC] as we work to ensure decompression of new arriving communities…” you proclaimed on social media this week. “
He continued, “You later amended your statement to claim that your offer extends to “persons who are lawfully present, with lawful work permits…” but this afterthought ignores the underlying issue. Secretary Mayorkas’ open border programs are themselves illegal. Your statements are wildly irresponsible. Not only do you ignore the fact that Laken Riley’s killer had a so-called “work permit,” but you are actively encouraging Missouri businesses to become entangled in a fundamentally unlawful program, and exposing them to legal liability in the process. See §§ 285.525 – .555 RSMo. (prohibiting Missouri businesses from hiring or employing illegal aliens), and § 577.675 RSMo. (making it a class D felony to knowingly transport illegal aliens in the state of Missouri). Make no mistake, my office will do everything in its power to take legal action against any person or entity found to be in violation of these statutes.”
“I took an oath to enforce the laws as written. That is why I joined with 19 other state attorneys general in suing Secretary Mayorkas over his disastrous and illegal parole program that unlawfully creates a de facto pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. This program would allow for up to 360,000 aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (the home of Laken Riley’s killer), to be “paroled” into the United States every year. Parole allows noncitizens to physically enter and remain in the United States even though they do not have a legal basis for being here. Your tacit support of this unlawful program is repugnant to the rule of law.”
He concluded, “Your open invitation to illegal aliens to come to Missouri is not only dangerous but comes at great expense to Missouri taxpayers, residents, and business owners. Rather than undermining the rule of law, I invite you to join me as I actively seek to defend it and to protect Missourians.”
The full letter to Mayor Lucas can be read here.
