Missouri does not have any sanctuary cities. A state law in effect since January 1, 2009 bans every county, city, town, and village in Missouri from adopting any policy that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and a municipality that defies the ban loses eligibility for state grant funding until it reverses course.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.307 – Sanctuary Policies for Municipalities Prohibited Neither St. Louis nor Kansas City has adopted a sanctuary ordinance, and both operate in compliance with the state statute.
What Missouri Law Prohibits
Section 67.307 of the Missouri Revised Statutes defines a “sanctuary policy” as any local order or ordinance that restricts municipal officials from communicating with federal agencies about a person’s immigration status, or that purports to grant lawful presence to someone in violation of federal law. The statute then flatly prohibits any municipality from enacting one.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.307 – Sanctuary Policies for Municipalities Prohibited
The reach is broad. “Municipality” covers every county, city, town, and village. “Municipality official” covers every elected or appointed officer and every law enforcement officer serving that jurisdiction. A city council, a mayor’s office, a sheriff’s department, a village board — none of them can adopt a rule telling employees to stop sharing immigration information with federal officials.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.307 – Sanctuary Policies for Municipalities Prohibited
The statute also requires the governing body, sheriff, or chief of police of each municipality to give every law enforcement officer written notice of the duty to cooperate with state and federal agencies on immigration matters. That notice requirement does not create an affirmative mandate for officers to investigate immigration status during routine encounters. It ensures officers know their department cannot order them to refuse cooperation when federal agencies reach out.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.307 – Sanctuary Policies for Municipalities Prohibited
What a Violating Municipality Loses
The enforcement mechanism is financial. Any municipality that adopts a sanctuary policy becomes ineligible for money provided through grants administered by any state agency or department, and that ineligibility lasts until the policy is repealed or no longer in effect.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.307 – Sanctuary Policies for Municipalities Prohibited For a city that depends on state grants for infrastructure, public safety equipment, or social services, the hit can be severe.
Enforcement runs through the Attorney General’s office. Any Missouri resident can file a complaint about a specific government entity, and any member of the General Assembly can then request that the Attorney General issue an opinion on whether that entity’s policies violate the statute.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.307 – Sanctuary Policies for Municipalities Prohibited No Missouri municipality has been publicly found in violation of the statute to date.
Federal grant conditions compound the state penalty. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, one of the largest federal law enforcement grant programs, has required applicants to certify compliance with 8 U.S.C. § 1373 as a condition of receiving funds. A Missouri city that adopted a sanctuary policy could lose state and federal grant money at the same time.
The Federal Law Layered on Top
Missouri’s statute reinforces a federal rule already on the books. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1373, no federal, state, or local government entity may prevent any government official from sending or receiving information about a person’s immigration status to or from federal immigration authorities. The federal statute also bars anyone from restricting a government entity from maintaining immigration-status information or exchanging it with other government entities at any level.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1373 – Communication Between Government Agencies and the Immigration and Naturalization Service
Even if Missouri repealed § 67.307 tomorrow, the federal rule would still prevent local governments from formally blocking information-sharing with immigration authorities.
How Cooperation Actually Works
Three different federal mechanisms shape day-to-day cooperation between Missouri agencies and ICE, and they work in different ways.
ICE Detainers
A detainer is a request from ICE asking a local jail to hold someone for up to 48 business hours beyond their normal release date so ICE can take custody. Under federal law, detainers are requests, not commands, and ICE’s own guidance states that detainers “don’t impose any obligations on law enforcement agencies.”3U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration Detainers Section 67.307 prohibits restricting communication about immigration status, but it does not explicitly convert voluntary federal detainer requests into mandatory state obligations. In practice, most Missouri agencies honor detainer requests, and a department that formalized a policy of systematic refusal could face scrutiny under the anti-sanctuary law.
287(g) Agreements
Some Missouri agencies have gone further by entering formal 287(g) agreements with ICE. These agreements, named after Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allow trained local officers to perform certain immigration enforcement functions under ICE’s supervision.4U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act The Missouri State Highway Patrol became the first state agency to sign a 287(g) agreement in March 2025, with the program going operational that September. The Jefferson County and Lincoln County sheriff’s offices followed with their own agreements in early 2026. Participation is voluntary, and not every Missouri agency has joined. St. Louis County Police, for example, has confirmed it is not currently pursuing a 287(g) agreement.
Secure Communities
Every local jail in Missouri participates in Secure Communities, even without a 287(g) agreement. When someone is arrested and booked, fingerprints go to the FBI for a criminal background check, and the FBI automatically forwards them to the Department of Homeland Security for a check against immigration databases.5U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Secure Communities If the check reveals a potential immigration issue, ICE can issue a detainer or take other action. The process is automatic. Every arrest and booking in Missouri triggers an immigration database check, regardless of what the local department’s policies say.
How St. Louis and Kansas City Operate Within the Ban
Some local leaders have used language like “welcoming city” to signal inclusivity toward immigrant communities. That approach differs from a sanctuary policy in a specific legal way. A welcoming-city framework typically focuses on ensuring all residents can access emergency services, report crimes, and interact with municipal offices without being asked about immigration status during those routine interactions. A sanctuary policy, by contrast, formally blocks communication with federal immigration authorities. Nothing in Missouri law prevents a city from being accessible to immigrant residents, so long as the city does not adopt a policy restricting its officials from sharing immigration information with federal agencies when asked.
Neither St. Louis nor Kansas City has adopted a formal sanctuary ordinance, and both remain in compliance with § 67.307. Officers in those cities still participate in the Secure Communities fingerprint-sharing process and can communicate freely with federal immigration authorities. The atmosphere in those cities may feel different from parts of rural Missouri, where elected sheriffs have been more likely to pursue 287(g) agreements, but the underlying legal obligations are identical statewide.
Pending Legislation
The 2025 Missouri legislative session saw multiple bills aimed at going well beyond the existing § 67.307 framework. Several proposals would create new state-level criminal offenses related to immigration, including making unauthorized entry into the country a state felony, imposing daily fines of up to $25,500 on communities that adopt sanctuary policies, and creating a state registry of immigrant workers with criminal penalties for noncompliance. Other bills would expand penalties on employers who fail to verify work authorization.
Movement in the other direction has gone nowhere. HB 1051 would have repealed § 67.307 entirely, removing the state-level sanctuary ban. The bill was referred to committee and died without advancing.6Missouri House of Representatives. House Bill 1051 – 103rd General Assembly None of the stricter proposals had been signed into law as of early 2026, but if any pass in a future session, Missouri could move from a state that passively prohibits sanctuary policies to one that actively mandates local participation in immigration enforcement.
What the Ban Does Not Change
Section 67.307 governs what local governments and their employees can do. It does not change the rights of individuals during an encounter with police or immigration agents.
- You do not have to discuss your immigration or citizenship status with police officers or immigration agents. Anything you say can be used against you in immigration proceedings.
- Officers generally need a warrant signed by a judge to enter your home. An ICE administrative warrant, signed by an ICE officer rather than a judge, does not authorize entry into a home without the occupant’s consent.
- If you are detained, you can ask for a lawyer. In immigration proceedings, the government is not required to provide one for free, but you have the right to hire one at your own expense.
Missouri’s law requires local officials to cooperate with federal agencies when it comes to sharing immigration-status information. It does not require individuals to answer questions about their own status, and it does not eliminate the constitutional protections that otherwise apply during a police encounter or an arrest.