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An Open Letter

To: Sen. Williams, Rep. Proudie, Gov. Kehoe

From: A verified voter in Saint Louis, MO

April 8

I urge you to oppose HB2125 (Banderman) because it gives the Missouri Secretary of State new power to compare DMV records with voter registration rolls specifically to find noncitizens. This provision is dangerous and fits directly into the anti immigrant agenda of the current U.S. administration. Under this bill, the Secretary of State matches citizenship status information from the Department of Revenue with voter registration data. The stated goal is to verify registration accuracy. But in practice, this creates a surveillance pipeline. Any mismatch or error can be used to flag a person as a suspected noncitizen. Driver records include lawful permanent residents, visa holders, and undocumented people. None of them can vote. Yet this system treats them as targets. We already see federal agents from ICE being weaponized against immigrant communities. Schools, churches, and workplaces are no longer safe. This bill hands state level data directly into that machine. Once the Secretary of State identifies someone as a possible noncitizen, that information can be shared. There is nothing in this bill to prevent referral to federal authorities. That means a simple data entry mistake or a clerical error could lead to detention and deportation. This is not about election security. Noncitizen voting is already illegal and virtually nonexistent. This is about creating a registry of suspicion. It feeds the same anti immigrant fervor that separates families, spreads fear, and stops people from accessing basic services like driver licenses or voting rights for eligible family members. We should not help the federal government build a deportation dragnet. We should not let any Secretary of State turn DMV data into a weapon. Vote no on this bill. Protect immigrant communities from state sponsored surveillance and collaboration with ICE.

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