As Voice of America reports, according to this law, it is prohibited to bring into Oklahoma, hire, or provide housing to immigrants who do not have legally documented status. Moreover, the law requires state law enforcement agencies to provide full assistance to federal authorities in monitoring compliance with the law.
The initiator of the new measure was state legislator Republican Randy Terrill. According to him, the new law will help save the state budget, as well as fight crime and, potentially, the threat of terrorism. "The fact that there are between 12 and 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and we have no idea who they are or what they are doing, poses a clear threat to national security," the legislator stated. "Furthermore, the situation generates many other problems, such as street crime, banditry, drugs. According to estimates from the state drug enforcement agency, about 40% of drug trafficking in Oklahoma is directly linked to the presence of illegal immigrants."
However, not everyone welcomes the new law. Many human rights and church organizations oppose it, believing it leads to discrimination against the Spanish-speaking population, foreigners, and people with dark skin in general. But a federal judge, in whose jurisdiction Oklahoma falls, refused to hear a lawsuit brought by a group of Spanish-speaking priests and allowed the law to take effect.
Patricia Fennell, director of the Agency for the Development of the Latino Community, a nonprofit organization in Oklahoma City, points out that one of the results of the new law has already been an outflow of legal immigrants from the state, which negatively affects Oklahoma's economy. "We are getting calls from businessmen who cannot fill their vacancies. For example, construction sites are short of a quarter to half of their workforce, resulting in projects at risk of not being completed on time."
In turn, the bill's initiator Randy Terrill rejects these and similar arguments. He does not see the law as a threat to Latin Americans or anyone else: "We don't care about your skin color, whether you speak with an accent, or what your last name is. What we do care about is whether you are in America legally or not. Therefore, the law should only concern those who have consciously decided to violate American law by entering the country illegally or staying here illegally."
Nevertheless, according to Patricia Fennell, the law's consequences are clearly demonstrated by the actions of police, employers, and landlords. "We are already receiving reports of discrimination based on race and ethnicity," she stated. "Specifically, in homes where many Latin Americans live, police have demanded that residents show documents proving they have permission to reside in the United States. That is absolutely unacceptable."
Undoubtedly, other states facing similar problems will closely monitor the implementation of the new law in Oklahoma. For instance, Utah lawmakers have announced their intention to introduce a similar measure. Nationwide last year, 43 of the 50 states passed 182 immigration-related laws. In some cases, federal courts have nullified local immigration laws. However, many states and local authorities argue that until the federal government fulfills its border security obligations, they have the right to enact their own laws.
Unsurprisingly, the issue of illegal immigration remains among the most pressing topics during the presidential campaign.