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As Elon Musk looks on, Trump says he's giving DOGE even more power; Officials monitor latest AR bird flu outbreak; NV lawmaker proposes new date for Indigenous Peoples Day; NM lawmaker says journalists of all stripes need protection; Closure of EPA branch would harm VA environment.

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A court weighs the right of New York City noncitizens to vote in local elections, Vice President Vance suggests courts can't overrule a president, and states increasingly challenge the validity of student IDs at the ballot box.

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Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

Immigration ads stir debate ahead of Missouri primaries

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Wednesday, July 31, 2024   

With less than a week until Missouri's primary and early voting already underway, candidates are ramping up their ad campaigns.

Immigration has become a hot-button issue, especially for Republicans but the tone of some ads raises questions: Are they effective or divisive? Polls show a significant number of Americans believe immigration is the most important issue facing the U.S. but experts say claims of immigrants increasing violent crime do not hold up.

Nancy Foner, professor of sociology at the City University of New York's Hunter College, said labeling immigrants as criminals is an old but persistent myth.

"The foreign born, in fact, are much less likely than the native born to commit violent crimes," Foner pointed out. "Cities and neighborhoods with greater concentrations of immigrants have much lower crime and violence than comparable nonimmigrant neighborhoods."

In a February Gallup poll, almost 30% of Americans named illegal immigration as the country's biggest problem.

Immigrants are also blamed for smuggling fentanyl across the 2,000-mile southern border. But according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 90% of drugs linked to overdose deaths are smuggled by U.S. citizens through legal ports of entry.

As the Missouri primaries fast approach, Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, released a controversial ad.

"We're throwing 'em in jail, sending 'em back where they came from. ¡Ay, caramba! We're going to detain and deport every one of the estimated 70 to 77,000 illegals that are in the state of Missouri right now," Eigel said in the ad.

Manny Abarca, a Jackson County legislator and Democrat, sees such ads as destructive to the community.

"The reality of these narratives, primarily used by the Republican Party -- in an anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican, anti-Mexican American, in my viewpoint, way -- is very damaging to not only the communities that I represent, but that I also am a part of," Abarca asserted.

Abarca added he is concerned the rhetoric might damage Missouri's ability to attract international events, like the World Cup game scheduled in Kansas City in 2026. More than six Central and South American countries are expected to join.

The Health Forward Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, and Housing/Homelessness. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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