A confrontational legislative hearing Monday — with a witness calling a state senator a fascist and lawmakers battling over whether the state should put a bounty on undocumented immigrants — set the tone for this year’s debate on immigration and the state’s role in border security.

There is no appetite among House Republicans for a bill that would put a bounty on undocumented immigrants, Speaker Jon Patterson told reporters Thursday. The legislation, which was debated Tuesday in a Missouri Senate committee,

"It is inhumane to say people should be hunted like a sport," said Aura Velasquez, a U.S. citizen for five years, during public testimony.

Under the bill, the Missouri Department of Public Safety would create a system for anyone to contact authorities and accuse someone of being here without legal documentation. But accusers can remain anonymous,