By Jake Peterson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - About fifty people attended the Holy Cross Parish Church to support the “Communities Creating Opportunities” event on immigration. Organizers talked about what SB 590 would do to the undocumented parents who are in Missouri.

“This is targeting them; it's targeting their American dream, because now they are scared to be out,” said member William Medina. "These people are paying taxes.”

Senate Bill 590 and SB 473 both pose serious questions about immigration in Missouri. The people in attendance are trying to stop the bills.

"The goal here is to inspire a movement in the people to get it stopped," said Medina.

There are three parts to Senate Bill 590.

It would require public schools to determine the cost of illegal immigration on the public schools.

The schools would be required to track the legal status of their students and their parents.

The bill would also mirror federal laws by creating a state misdemeanor for any non-citizen who does not have their documentation. And the bill would require law enforcement the right to check the immigration status of anyone pulled over or arrested if they had probable cause. 

“Last year when we attempted to get data on this,  and we couldn't  get a lot, but the information we did get from law enforcement is 60 percent of the time when you call federal immigration officer with someone that is here illegally they would say release those individuals," said Missouri state Sen. Will Kraus (R - 8th District), who is sponsoring the legislation. "Only 40 percent of the time would they actually get the people that were illegal and deport them and I think 60 percent of the time is not enough."

SB 473 would require the state auditor’s office to determine the cost of illegal immigration issues to Missouri taxpayers and then ask the attorney general to sue the federal government for that money.

Kraus says the effort isn’t about punishment, but about money instead.

“We are trying to identify how many people are here that we are educating illegally so we can send a bill to the federal government for the costs that it takes to educate those students,” said Kraus.

He believes the federal government should be doing more enforcement, so the states wouldn’t have to take on this issue.

There will be a hearing on SB 590 on Tuesday.