Missouri AG threatens ‘legal action’ after Kansas City mayor opens city to illegal immigrants

The document sent to Lucas stated, "We are a nation governed by the rule of law. Yet, under the current Administration in Washington, DC, laws that don't align with a radically progressive agenda are simply ignored. Chief among these are laws that prohibit illegal immigration into our country and into the State of Missouri."

"Yet, against the backdrop of literally millions of illegal aliens flooding our borders, overwhelming the social safety net of large American cities, and in some cases even committing violent crimes against our citizens, you are actively encouraging them to come to the Show Me State. 'All are welcome in Kansas City. Proud to work with my fellow mayors [from Denver and NYC] as we work to ensure decompression of new arriving communities...' you proclaimed on social media this week," Baily added.

Lucas made the statements in a post to X.

Lucas later amended his statements to be about those with work permits.

Bailey slammed the comments as "widely irresponsible" and that he was encouraging "Missouri businesses to become entangled in a fundamentally unlawful program, and exposing them to legal liability in the process." The AG also cited the accused murderer of Laken Riley, Jose Ibarra, who also had a "so-called 'work permit'" to discourage the mayor from taking any action in bringing illegal immigrants to the state.

In Missouri, businesses are prohibited from hiring illegal immigrants and it is a class D felony to knowingly transport illegal immigrants into the state. In reference to these, Bailey warned the mayor, " Make no mistake, my office will do everything in its power to take legal action against any person or entity found to be in violation of these statutes."