Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek, flanked by more than a dozen Republican lawmakers, recently announced legislation to curb the flow of money sent out of the country by illegal aliens in Missouri.

The plan, based on Senate Bill 1124 and House Bill 2412, targets the primary economic magnet driving the crisis at the border, which is the ability to send untracked money back to foreign countries.

“Missouri is saying: If you want to operate here, follow the rules,” Treasurer Malek said in a statement. “If you want access to the U.S. economy, respect its laws. And if the federal government cannot enforce every facet of immigration, states will not sit idle while incentives for illegal entry remain untouched.”

The bills would ensure that Missouri banks and businesses that wire money and sell money orders are following the law and not being used to get around federal immigration rules.

The proposed legislation establishes a clear standard. No state-licensed money-transmission business would be able to send money to a recipient outside the United States without first verifying that the sender is not an “unauthorized alien.” 

“This is not radical. This is not extreme. This is basic financial accountability,” Malek said. “As Missouri’s chief financial officer, my job is to protect the integrity of our financial systems. Licensed institutions must operate responsibly and lawfully — especially when billions of dollars are involved.”

By requiring a basic ID at the point of sale, Missouri would be standing up for those who followed the law to come here, while removing the incentive for those who broke the law to enter the country.

“Supporting legal immigration and opposing illegal immigration are not contradictory positions. They are inseparable,” Malek said.

The Missouri Division of Finance would be tasked with prescribing the specific documentation and forms that businesses must use to verify a sender’s legal status. 

To ensure these rules are followed, businesses that fail to verify a sender’s status would be hit with a financial penalty equal to 25% of the total amount transferred. Under the House bill, the money from these fines would go into Missouri’s disaster fund to help the state prepare for emergencies.

Promise made. Promise kept.I told Missourians I would work to find ways to help @POTUS fight every aspect of illegal immigration—and I’m keeping that promise.No legal status = no money sent back home. pic.twitter.com/2W2ITYx0O2— Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek (@MOTreasurer) December 20, 2025

The legislation would also allow Missourians to report businesses they believe are ignoring these rules. To keep things fair, if someone knowingly files a fake report just to cause trouble, they could be charged with a crime.

“When I ran for state treasurer, I promised Missourians that I would help President Trump stop illegal immigration,” Malek told FOX News.

Malek argued that since President Trump has successfully reduced border crossings to historic lows not seen since 1970, the responsibility now falls on individual states to take the next step. He emphasized that Missouri is currently fulfilling this duty by moving forward with these new legislative measures.

“We are stepping up to stop illegal immigration and cutting off one of the most important incentives that people have who cross borders illegally, which is transferring money using these unverified foreign money transfers.”