PRESS RELEASE
Office of State Representative Mark Parkinson 105th District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Nick Haynes December 15, 2014 (573) 751-2949; nick.haynes@house.mo.gov
Representative Parkinson Slams Obama Executive Order; Announces Immigration Bill
JEFFERSON CITY, MO – As Missouri continues to adjust to the impact of President Barack Obama’s unprecedented and sweeping decision to unilaterally suspend the deportations of millions of people living illegally in the United States, State Representative Mark Parkinson (R-105) today will introduce legislation aimed at curbing the numbers of undocumented immigrants working in Missouri.
Parkinson’s legislation would make it mandatory for businesses to use the federal employment eligibility verification program, and would penalize businesses that either fail to use the program or knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Depending on the infraction, businesses would be penalized through a series of fines or temporary suspension of their business license. Penalties would escalate if there is a second offense, and a third offense would result in the revocation of the business’s operating license.
“For well over a decade, both Democratic and Republican congresses have failed to come up with any solutions to address the flood of illegal immigrants who come across our borders on a daily basis,” said Parkinson. “Now President Obama has decided to ignore the rule of law and effectively grant amnesty to those who came here while sidestepping our immigration system.
“I welcome those who come to the United States to get a piece of the American Dream,” Parkinson continued. “But we have the legislative process for a reason. The president has taken this step without working with Congress or the states to form a truly comprehensive and bipartisan solution to our immigration problem. All it does is show the extreme arrogance of the current administration in the White House.
“We will only be able to solve our immigration problems when we make the legal option more attractive and accessible. That’s something only the federal government can do. But there are options available for state governments, and that is why I am introducing this bill today. It is a fair bill that does not punish the immigrant coming here in chase of a dream. It punishes the businesses that profit from rampant abuses of the law.”
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