By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Just one day after endorsing its illegal immigration package, the Missouri House this afternoon passed it and sent it over to the Senate.
It includes bills requiring State Troopers to be trained to enforce federal immigration laws and directing local police to find out the immigration status of those they arrest within 48 hours.
State Representative and former law officer Jeff Roorda (D, Barnhart) opposed the legislation.
"For the handful of law enforcement officers who would abuse their powers, this gives them the ability to use this (48-hour) detention period to target and racially profile people whose skin color is different than ours, whose last names sound different than ours," Roorda said.
State Representative Timothy Flook (R, Liberty) disputed that argument before the final vote was taken.
"It is not the intent of this bill for any police officer to be stopping people on the highway because they look Hispanic or they look like an immigrant...that is not the intention of this bill...the language in this bill does not allow for it," Flook said.
Flood added that any law officer or city government engaging in racial profiling should be harshly punished.
The House package also includes bills that would bar state grants to so-called sanctuary cities, and would require commercial driver's license tests be given in English.
House and Senate members will next evaluate whether to accept each other's bills, or to reject them and appoint conferees to work out a compromise.