Missouri AG Now Siccing ICE on Gerrymander Referendum Signature Gatherers

In a stunning escalation over the Missouri GOP’s gerrymander, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway (R) publicly announced she has referred the state’s grassroots referendum campaign to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), claiming without evidence that canvassers are “employing illegal aliens” to collect signatures to overturn the mid-decade redraw.

“Out-of-state signature collectors are reportedly employing illegal aliens in their efforts to undermine the will of the people’s elected representatives. We’ve launched an investigation into Advanced Micro Targeting,” Hanaway posted on X Thursday evening. “If anyone is creating an environment for exploitation and human trafficking to thrive, we will hold them accountable. We have referred this matter to ICE.”

Hanaway offered no evidence to support any of the allegations in her post, and did not immediately respond to Democracy Docket’s request for comment. Her office has not released documents or reports substanting her claim that the canvassing firm — Advanced Micro Targeting, which is legally contracted to gather signatures for the People Not Politicians (PNP) referendum — employs undocumented workers.

Hanaway’s posts echo key talking points from national Republican operatives attempting to derail direct democracy by casting ordinary petition circulators as nefarious outsiders. But her decision to add federal immigration enforcement — and the language of “human trafficking” — marks a dramatic and potentially dangerous turn.

Missouri Sen. Minority Leader Doug Beck (D) has already filed a misconduct complaint against Hanaway for a separate action — naming the entire Missouri General Assembly as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit attempting to block the referendum, without legislative authorization. 

Beck argues she violated ethical rules by misrepresenting her client and usurping the legislature’s power.

The timing is not subtle. PNP is in the final stretch of collecting signatures for a veto referendum that would suspend House Bill 1 — the mid-decade GOP redraw designed to lock in a 7–1 Republican congressional map — and put it before voters in 2026.

“Just the latest example of desperate politicians seeking to silence the voices of Missourians. It is outrageous and dangerous,” PNP director Richard von Glahn told Democracy Docket Friday. “We’re not backing down. We will defend First Amendment rights. We will qualify this referendum.”

The campaign has already pulled in more than 200,000 signatures, well above the required threshold, despite rolling GOP obstruction efforts.

Missouri Republicans have already employed a sprawling array of tactics to block the referendum. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) threw out tens of thousands of signatures as “premature” and imposed a misleading ballot summary that is now the subject of a separate lawsuit.

Hanaway herself filed a federal lawsuit claiming Missouri voters cannot legally overturn congressional maps at all.

And a GOP-aligned out-of-state PAC has also been caught offering cash bonuses to poach canvassers and disrupt the referendum campaign. They have also been accused of launching a defamatory smear against the referendum canvassing firm. 

Jen Rice contributed to this reporting.