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Issue: 904 Date: 12/20/2007
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Gov. Blunt Supports Bush Plan on Illegal Immigrants, Economic Amnesty for Their Employers
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JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- Today Gov. Matt Blunt held yet another series of press conferences on illegal immigration, but again forgot to mention two very important facts: He supported President Bush's "comprehensive" immigration reform plan, and instead of taking action against employers who hire illegal immigrants, Blunt has given them economic amnesty by awarding them state contracts and state tax credits.
"For three years, the only thing Matt Blunt said about illegal immigrants is that he supported President Bush's plan to give them amnesty," said Sen. Frank Barnitz (Central Missouri). "Now that he's down in the polls and has a tough re-election campaign around the corner, he wants Missourians to believe he's been a leader on this issue. The people of Missouri aren't buying it."
"As Matt Blunt travels around the state holding press conferences on illegal immigrations, Missourians deserve to know his real record on the issue," said Rep. Edward Wildberger (St. Joseph) "Matt Blunt supported President Bush's amnesty bill and now, by failing to hold employers who hire illegal immigrants accountable, the Governor is supporting economic amnesty for employers who are breaking the law."
Rep. Wildberger has consistently sponsored legislation to hold employers who hire illegal immigrants accountable, but the Governor and his allies blocked that bill from getting a vote. [HB 591 (2007 session)]
"Matt Blunt supported Bush's amnesty bill and then gave state contracts and state tax credits to companies that hired illegal immigrants," said Rep. Jason Holsman (Kansas City). "The Governor pretends to go after illegal immigrants while at the same time the protecting wealthy corporations and big businesses who hire them. He can't have it both ways."
Matt Blunt's Failed Record on Illegal Immigration
Blunt Supported Bush Plan On Illegal Immigration ?Many Called Amnesty
Matt Blunt Expressed Support For President Bush's Plan On Illegal Immigration. Matt Blunt, in May 2006, said, "I commend the President for setting forth a solid plan to address the challenges we face in immigration. I share his belief that America can be a nation of laws while also being a nation that supports and welcomes lawful immigration…I look forward to helping our nation and our President with this new objective.'" [Office of Governor Matt Blunt Press Release, 5/16/2007]
Conservative Anti-Illegal Immigration Groups Called Bush's Immigration Plan "Amnesty." In a press release discussing the negotiations in Congress about President George W. Bush's Illegal Immigration plan, FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) wrote, "The Bush Administration, together with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), appear to be making one final run at approving a massive illegal alien amnesty and guest worker program." [FAIR Press Release, 5/7/2007]
Matt Blunt Refuses to Go After Employers Who Hire Illegal Immigrants - and Instead Rewards them with State Contracts and State Tax Credits
Matt Blunt Has Not Referred One Case Relating To Illegal Immigration To The Attorney General's Office. Matt Blunt has failed to refer any cases of employers potentially hiring illegal immigrants to the Attorney General's office, since being in office. [Response to Sunshine Request AGO, 7/7/2007]
State Contractor Was Busted For Hiring Illegal Immigrants. Months after Matt Blunt "directed all executive state agencies" under his control to "implement a new hiring procedure to verify prospective employees' identities and work eligibility" a two-month long investigation revealed that a state contractor was employing illegal immigrants. Blunt "ordered state agencies to enact a no tolerance policy through new contract protections." [Governor Matt Blunt Press Release, 3/7/2007]
Blunt Awarded Contract To Company Who Had Previously Employed Illegal Immigrants. In October of 2007, Sam's Janitorial Services sued Matt Blunt when Blunt decided to bar the vendor from doing work with the state. According to the Associated Press, "The owner of Sam's Janitorial, K. Asamoah-Boadu, claims Blunt exceeded his gubernatorial powers when he terminated the contract and disqualified the company from future state work. Asamoah-Boadu wants nine canceled contracts reinstated, the company's ban from state work reversed and an unspecified amount of money for damages, according to the lawsuit filed in Cole County Circuit Court. Asamoah-Boadu, an African-born U.S. citizen, also alleges racial discrimination because the state contract was subsequently given to white-owned B&G Cleaning, which also had been the contractor before Sam's Janitorial won the bid." [Associated Press, 10/25/2007]
Blunt Ally Contributes $40,000 To Blunt And Received Millions In State Tax Credits After Getting Caught Hiring Illegal Immigrants. Gundaker Commercial Group was caught in February of 2006 as employing illegal immigrants. At the time, Sarah Steelman and Matt Blunt denounced the practice of hiring illegal immigrants and said "The state will not do business with developers who do not abide by the law,' Blunt said. ‘I am pleased to join with Treasurer Steelman in sending a strong message to businesses and developers operating in our state currently or who seek to do business here in the future. We owe our exceptional Missouri workforce nothing less.'" But in March of 2007, Matt Blunt accepted $40,000 in contributions from the Gundaker Group and affiliated development companies and the Gundaker Commercial Group was approved for Tax Exempt Bonds through the Missouri Housing and Development Commission. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri), 2/16/2006; Press Release, US States News, 2/16/2007; Papers filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission, 4/16/2007; Memo to Commissioners From Pete Ramsel regarding Developments Requesting Bond Cap, 4/20/2007]
October 2007: MHDC Records Reveal Secret Tax Payer Funded Bailout For Gundaker Commercial Group. In a press release dated October 3, 2007 issued by Attorney General Jay Nixon's office, it was discovered that "secretly proposed bailout that would provide more than $4 million in additional state tax credits to the developer of a St. Charles County project found to be using undocumented workers" existed based on an August 2006 letter from the staff of MHDC. According to the release, the credits were committed to Gundaker Commercial Group and made "without the knowledge or concurrence of the full Commission". [Press Release, Attorney General Jay Nixon, 10/03/2007]
Blunt's Ally in the Legislature Indicted for Forging Visas for Illegal Immigrants
November 29, 2005: Cooper "Admitted" Knowledge That Illegal Immigrants "Remained In The Country On Visas Unrelated To The Trucking Industry.": Additional details emerged Monday about the charges against Cooper. In an affidavit filed in a criminal case against Omega "Meg" Paulite, 36, Phillipine-born U.S. citizen, special agent Tyson Imming of Immigration & Customs Enforcement described Cooper's cooperation with the government.
Identifying Cooper as "Individual #3," Imming wrote that federal investigators interviewed Cooper at his office on Nov. 29, 2005, and that Cooper admitted that truck drivers working for his legal clients had entered the country illegally and entered or remained in the country on visas unrelated to the trucking industry. Cooper also admitted to investigators that he had unlawfully purchased visa approvals from Paulite for $250 each. [The Southeast Missourian, 8/13/2005]
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