Immigration Group Asks Nixon To Clarify His Position

"GOVERNOR NIXON . . .

PULL BACK MS. MARTINEZ."

The head of Missourians Against Illegal Immigration (MAII) sent a letter to Governor Jay Nixon Monday requesting he clarify his position on the issue "publicly and in writing."

"Governor Nixon and his nominee to head the Department of Economic Development both have very public and written records of supporting illegal immigration – and this needs to be clarified" said Janet Renner, MAII president.

In her letter, Renner refers to a Missouri law that states that any business that employs an illegal immigrant is ineligible for state aid for five years.

"As of this writing, I know of no instance of you, as Attorney General, using this law to fight illegal immigration. And, you can see that this law gives HUGE power to your Cabinet Directors to fight this fight. This is why we care about Ms. Martinez' nomination," Renner wrote. "Ms. Martinez' written public record is clear. She signed court documents stating that Missouri could not crack down on illegal immigration. She went on Lou Dobbs and the transcript of that shows Martinez' belief that Missouri cannot crack down on illegal immigration. And Martinez put a quote in a St. Louis magazine stating that she supported open borders (although she now says that she does not know what "open borders" means)."

"Governor Nixon, you would be well-served to pull back Ms. Martinez from her nomination and spend some time and energy clarifying your public record on illegal immigration. The best way to do this, I believe, is in writing; you could write an op-ed and also give Senator Rupp your written assurances," added Renner.

The Martinez nomination will be taken up by the Senate Tuesday.