Oklahoma Immigration Law, Toughest in the Nation, in Effect
After an 11th hour request for an injunction to block the implementation of the bill was denied by a U.S. District Court judge, Oklahoma House Bill 1804, known as the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, went into effect Thursday, Nov. 1.
The law bans illegal immigrants from obtaining official state government identification, including driver’s licenses; terminates most public assistance for illegal immigrants; grants state and local law enforcement officials the authority to enforce federal immigration law; and enacts employer penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants
While Oklahoma's new law is widely seen as the toughest in the nation, other U.S. states are turning up heat on illegal immigrants as state and local officials race to make their territory as unappealing as possible for the nation's estimated 12 million undocumented individuals.
In
Utah
, Republican State Sen. Bill Hickman has plans to introduce legislation similar to the
Oklahoma
law. In
Missouri
, Gov. Matt Blunt announced an effort to deputize some
Missouri
state law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws.
Anti-immigration advocates have begun to push for similar laws in neighboring
Arkansas
. In the state's northwest, where most of Arkansas's Latinos live, four police agencies have signed up with the customs and immigration agency to enforce immigration law more efficiently. Mike Beebe, the Democratic governor, wants state troopers to get tougher too.
It is estimated that immigrants in the state contribute $2.9 billion directly or indirectly to the state's economy each year, which has prompted one pro-business group to form. Executives from some of Arkansas's principal companies — Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat processor, and Alltel, a wireless company — joined ministers, civic leaders and the local American Civil Liberties Union to form the Arkansas Friendship Coalition.
The group stresses that states should abide by federal immigration laws rather than try to make their own.
Though punitive or restrictive measures have gotten the most attention, there has also been a substantial push to integrate. Over the last 18 months, about a third of the some 130 immigration-related ordinances introduced around the country have been geared toward providing more English-language courses and other immigrant-friendly initiatives, according to the Migration Policy Institute. (www.migrationpolicy.org).
One state has responded to the polarizing debate over immigration.
Illinois
has been working to find ways to bring immigrants into the mainstream more quickly by funding local language classes and assimilation training.
For more information, contact Carlos Guttierrez at 800-368-5242 x8279.
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