ST. LOUIS – The United States Supreme Court ruling allowing enforcement of a Texas “arrest and deport” immigration law may have a ripple effect in Missouri.

There’s already a new proposal here to “arrest and deport.”

Former West County Republican State Rep. and now State Senate candidate, David Gregory, said he went to the Arizona-Mexico border last week. He’s back with a plan to arrest and deport those who cross illegally and end up in Missouri.

“Let’s do this right to protect our people because immigration is good. Illegal immigration is bad,” Gregory said.

If he is elected, he says he’ll introduce legislation creating the offense of “trespass by an illegal alien,” which will carry a sentence of life in prison until either the federal government deports the offender or a state parole board releases the offender after finding the offender was truly seeking asylum.

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“The amount of illegal immigrants caught at the border that are on the terrorist watchlist have gone up 2500% since (President) Joe Biden took office. That’s scary,” Gregory said. “Terrorism is scary. So, we’ve got to be strict; we’ve got to get tough. We’ve got to encourage legal immigration, which is a wonderful thing.”

Gregory’s plan also calls for illegal crossers to be permanently disqualified from Missouri residency, driver’s licenses, and voting rights.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling allows Texas to arrest those who cross the border illegally and deport them. If convicted under state law rather than federal law, a federal appeals court will then decide whether Texas’ law is constitutional. Immigration law is historically a federal matter.

Gregory’s fellow Republican candidate, Wildwood Mayor Jim Bowlin, has a five-point immigration plan that he says may not “grab headlines” but includes “arrest and detain.” He says it won’t lead to costly legal battles where state and federal laws clash. 

St. Louis’s International Institute, which provides services to immigrants and refugees, declined comment. Democrat Missouri State Senate Candidate Joe Pereles did not respond to comment.

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