By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – A spokesman for the Missouri Highway Patrol says troopers will maintain current levels of immigration law enforcement.
Authorities detained 17 undocumented Mexican immigrants Sunday in Franklin County after the truck in which they were traveling collided with a car.
Highway Patrol Captain Chris Ricks says there has not been a dramatic increase in immigrant trafficking in Missouri, but police are keeping an eye out for it.
"What we're trying to do is make our officers aware that there is a lot of traffic of illegal immigrants into our country, and just to make them aware of what they're supposed to do when they come across these situations," Ricks said.
Ricks says if alleged undocumented aliens are found, they are handed over to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services, formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service.