Thread: Immigrants, language bill draw legislators' interest

Immigrants, language bill draw legislators' interest

Monday, February 19, 2007 10:30 AM CST



Oppose English-only bill for other reasons By RICKI JO AGENT State Capital News Service

The Oklahoma Legislature is proceeding on several fronts to address the continuing influx of immigrants, but Sequoyah County lawmakers have misgivings about some of the measures under consideration.

For starters, there's the campaign to make English the official state language. Both members of Sequoyah County's House delegation, Rep. Glen "Bud" Smithson (D-Sallisaw) and Rep. Ed Cannaday (D-Porum), think it's a bad idea.

Cannaday said backers of the "English-only" movement appear to be focusing on recent waves of Spanish-speaking immigrants whose presence in America has created a demand for dual-language government services.

But in doing so, he said, they are antagonizing a much larger group of Native Americans who settled this country long before other ethnic groups arrived, and who view the "English-only" campaign as an affront to their heritage.

Cannaday, a former school principal, cited a recent survey by the Webbers Falls School District showing that 25 out of 300 students speak Cherokee in the home, while only four speak Spanish.


"During Oklahoma's centennial, we are celebrating the diversity of this state," Cannaday said. "This bill takes an isolationist approach."

Smithson expressed similar sentiments.

"Making English the official language of Oklahoma is disrespectful to Native Americans," Smithson said.

Both lawmakers were reacting to committee approval of an English-only bill (HB 1423) that now awaits action by the full House. A similar bill is pending in the state Senate. The chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chad Smith, expressed his tribe's opposition to the House measure at a recent committee hearing.

Cannaday noted that the names of many Oklahoma cities and towns are based on Native American words. He said he wondered whether immigration critics would attempt to change all of them to English place names.

Smithson and Cannaday expressed reservations about other pending legislative proposals designed to crack down on illegal immigrants and, in some cases, the employers who hire them.

Although the regulation of immigration is primarily a federal responsibility, efforts to change the law have stalled in Congress. In the absence of federal action, many states have attempted to impose their own changes.


Last year, more than 550 immigration bills were filed in state legislatures across the country, and more than 75 became law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Although Oklahoma is estimated to have a relatively small population of illegal immigrants, that has not stopped state lawmakers from responding to public concern about problems associated with immigration.

So far this session, at lease 11 measures addressing immigration have been introduced in the Senate, and eight in the House.

Perhaps the most sweeping is a House measure (HB 1804) that would, among other things, deny tuition breaks, food stamps, child care benefits and other state assistance to undocumented immigrants. The bill also would establish penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers, address identity theft and voter fraud, and make it a state crime for illegal immigrants to reside in this Oklahoma.

Cannaday said his constituents are concerned about illegal immigration, and he is convinced some reforms are necessary. But he said the Legislature should proceed cautiously to avoid trampling on rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, which does not distinguish between citizens and non-citizens.

To be effective, Cannaday said, any state reform legislation must identify businesses that employ undocumented workers. The employers should not necessarily be punished, he said, but they should be required to ensure that their workers contribute their fair share of taxes to the state.

Smithson said he, too, considers immigration an issue that should be approached with caution.


Smithson said he agrees that Oklahoma needs stiffer immigration laws, but regards it as less of a priority in this state because the immigrant population is relatively small.

Smithson said he would support a bill giving illegal immigrants a temporary work visa, noting that they often take jobs most Americans do not want.

http://www.sequoyahcountytimes.com/arti ... ront9a.txt

Nitty - Aren't you in Oklahoma and you are a Native American. Would you set these people straight.

I have a Wampanoag friend here in Boston who is outspoken on the issue of illegal immigration.