Wichita ? Anti-illegal immigration groups are marshaling their forces in Kansas, saying crackdowns on illegal immigration in neighboring states like Oklahoma and Missouri have driven hordes of undocumented workers to the state.

“They come to the path of least resistance – and right now that is Kansas,” said Susan Tully, national field director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

About 30 people met in Wichita on Thursday to hear representatives from FAIR, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and You Don’t Speak for Me during a grass-roots strategy session on how to push local and state measures against illegal immigration.

Among the featured speakers was Carol Helms, director of Immigration Reform for Oklahoma, whose lobbying efforts were credited for passage last spring in Oklahoma of a sweeping anti-illegal immigration law. She gave participants a primer on lobbying tactics for state legislatures.

The Oklahoma measure, which is expected to draw legal challenges, is slated to go into effect on Nov. 1.