The Show Me state eyes a bill requiring life imprisonment for violent illegal immigrants convicted of trespassing.
A Missouri bounty-hunter bill targeting violent illegal immigrants would also create a state version of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that could put dangerous immigrants away for life.
Senate Bill (SB) 72, if enacted, would mandate life imprisonment without parole for dangerous illegal immigrants arrested in Missouri who are convicted of felony trespassing charges.
It would also allow Missourians to collect $1,000 bounties for reporting illegal immigrants who are arrested.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. David Gregory, told The Epoch Times an updated version of the bill is designed to lock up dangerous criminals within the state, such as Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members.
Nonviolent illegal immigrants would not be targeted under the bill, he said.
“If they’re not dangerous, we let them go,” Gregory said. “We all know the illegal immigration crisis continues to be one of the top concerns of Americans, and it’s a crisis that can only be fixed with a collaborative effort.”
President Donald Trump made illegal immigration a core issue during his 2024 election campaign for a second presidential term. Upon taking office, he signed a flurry of executive orders to secure U.S. borders and deport those residing in the country unlawfully, especially those with criminal convictions.
SB 72 would create a state program with guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and authorize state law enforcement to participate in finding and detaining illegal immigrants.
All law enforcement agencies in Missouri would be required to provide the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) with any information requested regarding illegal immigration.
Likewise, officers throughout the state would be required to cooperate with DHS in the “apprehension, detention, or removal of aliens not lawfully present in the United States.”
Public Dangers Denied Bail
The bill provides for DPS to seek arrest warrants for illegal immigrants and notify ICE once detained.
If ICE does not take the illegal immigrants into federal custody within two business days, they would appear before a state judge who would determine if they are “legally seeking asylum.”
