Today, federal officials announced plans to build a 28-mile "virtual fence" on the country's southwest border.
Last month, Governor Pawlenty announced plans to crack down on illegal immigrants who use forged documents.
Whether on the state or national level, illegal immigration is a hot-button issue.
And it's perhaps even hotter now in Southwestern Minnesota, where authorities suspect that the woman who calls herself "Alianiss Morales" is an illegal immigrant. The woman is charged with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide after four students died in a school bus crash earlier this week.
There are an estimated 12 million undocumented workers in America, and an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 live in Minnesota. Those numbers force federal immigration officials to prioitize their work.
"Every law enforcement agency prioritizes. And we prioritize obviously anything having to do with national security first, but also anything having to do with community safety," said Tim Counts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Police say in 2006, the woman who calls herself "Alianiss Morales" pleaded guilty to driving without a valid license. Minnesota requires driver's license applicants to demonstrate proof of citizenship or legal immigrant status.
An internet search revealed that Maryland is the only state that does not.
Counts says the woman who calls herself "Alianiss Morales" will first face charges relating to the school bus crash, before federal authorities decide what charges, if any, she will face regarding her immigration status.
"When we get custody of her eventually," Counts said, "that is when we start doing the indepth investigation and determine what direction to go then."
(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
