A newly introduced Missouri bill, proposed by Sen.-elect David Gregory, a Republican from the St. Louis area, has sparked intense debate and alarm among immigrant advocates, civil rights groups, and legal experts. The legislation would offer $1,000 payments to residents who report alleged undocumented immigrants to state authorities and would establish a "Missouri Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program." Under the proposal, those who capture undocumented individuals could see them charged with "trespass by an illegal alien" and face stringent penalties.
The measure, known as Senate Bill 72, calls for the Missouri Department of Public Safety to create phone, email, and online reporting systems for alleged immigration violations. It would also allow licensed bail bond agents or surety recovery agents to apply for certification as bounty hunters specifically targeting undocumented immigrants. "Any person who makes a report in which an illegal alien is arrested shall receive a reward of $1,000," the bill states.
Critics warn that such provisions are both dangerous and discriminatory. "Immigrants are human and humans aren't meant to be hunted," said Edgar Palacios, executive director of Revolución Educativa, a Kansas City organization focused on education issues in the Latino community. "This idea of having a bounty hunter for immigrants is wild and I think it displays a narrative that, again, people see, not everybody, but certain people see immigrants as inhuman."
Nimrod Chapel, president of the Missouri NAACP State Conference, drew a comparison to oppressive laws of the past. "This bill by our new senator has returned exactly to those roots," he said. "You're going to create a system that is not only going to differentiate people based on how God made them, which, in my spiritual belief, is just fundamentally wrong, but then you're going to try to create in a system...that seeks to differentiate people in much the same way that some of the Jim Crow laws did." Chapel called it "a really draconian and racist piece of legislation" and added, "It scares the hell out of me."
Legal experts also expressed concerns about the constitutional and civil rights implications. "As a civil rights attorney this is great for me. It'll take one week for a Puerto Rican to be harassed. This is a classic demanding papers situation - you must have your papers everywhere. This is Nazi Germany stuff," said Immigration and Civil Rights Attorney Javad Khazalei.
The proposal arrives amid a larger national debate over immigration, as well as ongoing political rhetoric in Missouri that has targeted migrants. Republican leaders have frequently spotlighted unauthorized border crossings, and earlier this year outgoing Gov. Mike Parson deployed National Guard troops to Texas as part of an initiative dubbed "Operation Lone Star." Candidates for statewide office campaigned heavily on immigration issues, reflecting voter sentiment that has grown more polarized.
Critics argue that the bounty measure would encourage profiling, vigilantism, and fear. "I think the narrative is harmful. I think it's designed to create fear amongst certain members of our community," Palacios said. "It riles up a base that may not fully appreciate, again, the value that immigrants and folks from the migrant community bring, not to our state, but to our country."
While Kansas City and surrounding regions have welcomed thousands of newcomers seeking better opportunities, the proposed bill could cast a shadow on local economies and social stability. Many immigrants have found work, contributed to local industries, and raised families in the area.
As the Missouri legislature prepares to convene next month, it remains unclear whether Gregory's measure will advance. Advocates who stand firmly against the proposal say they will mobilize to ensure it faces intense scrutiny, warning that the promise of a financial reward to hunt for undocumented individuals poses grave risks, both to fundamental rights and to the moral fabric of the state's communities.
