Thread: Toughest Anti-Illegal Law in the U.S. Takes Effect Today!

Immigration law to take effect
Devona Walker

TULSA — A new immigration enforcement law, arguably one of the nation’s toughest, is effective Thursday.

An 11th hour request for an injunction to block the implementation of HB 1804 was denied by U.S. District Judge James Payne about 7 p.m. tonight after a hearing that happened just hours before the law’s Nov. 1 implementation.

“In light of the plaintiffs’ failure to introduce evidence in support of their motion, and in light of plaintiffs’ limited argument in support of their motion, the court cannot conclude the plaintiffs’ right to a preliminary injunction has been clearly and unequivocally established,â€

Latinos React To Immigration Law Ruling
AP - 10/31/2007 5:52 PM - Updated 10/31/2007 8:02 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A new state immigration law that targets illegal immigrants has created fear and panic in Latino communities across Oklahoma and will force many immigrants -- both documented and undocumented – to leave their jobs and homes, Latino groups said Wednesday.

Latinos and their supporters reacted to the law on the eve of its Thursday effective date after a federal judge in Tulsa took under advisement a request to block its enforcement.

In a two-page ruling, U.S. District Judge James H. Payne wrote that the plaintiffs had failed to introduce enough evidence to meet the burden of proof required for a preliminary injunction to be issued.

"In light of plaintiffs' failure to introduce evidence in support of their motion ... the court cannot conclude that the plaintiffs' right to a preliminary injunction has been clearly and unequivocally established," Payne wrote.

The statute -- which received bipartisan support from state lawmakers who expressed frustration with Congress' inability to pass comprehensive immigration reform – has created anxiety in Latino communities, said Pat Fennel, director of the Latino Community Development Agency in Oklahoma City.

"So many Latinos have already left Oklahoma and many plan to do so, which is precisely what Randy Terrill wanted -- cleanse the state," Fennel said.

She predicted the statute will have dire economic consequences for Oklahoma businesses who rely on immigrant labor. Among other things, it imposes new requirements on employers to verify the immigration status and employment eligibility of their workers and penalizes those who willfully hire illegal immigrants.

"There are segments of the economy that are really feeling the impact. Those people who are here are fearful, distressed, going underground," Fennel said.

"There's going to be employment gaps and employers are going to suffer," said Rey Madrid of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Washington-based group that is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States.

"A lot of them are not going to leave, they're going to go underground," Madrid said.

The measure also eliminates an illegal immigrant's ability to obtain public benefits and gives state and local law enforcement the ability to enforce immigration law, including detaining illegals until they are deported.

Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran, Catholic Archbishop of Oklahoma City, and other clergy and church parishioners have pledged to defy the law and continue offering services to the needy regardless of their immigration status.

"We're going forward with the same services tomorrow that we offered today," said Richard Klinge, director of advocacy and legal services for Catholic Charities.

But Fennel said Hispanic parents are pulling their school age children out of public school classrooms and Hispanic children and adults -- including those in the country legally -- are staying away from public health care clinics in their communities.

"This is not just something that has the undocumented fearful," she said. "This is really creating an adversarial environment for Latinos. Some time in the future, we're going to look back in shame. And even more shame that Oklahoma was the leader."

Madrid, LULAC's representative in Oklahoma, said he plans to visit schools in Latino areas and speak to Latino youth groups in an effort to prevent them from reacting violently when the law goes into effect.

"They figure they're punishing us and they're targeting us," Madrid said. "I see a lot of young people with no hope of going to college, no hope of getting a good job. They get angry."

To learn more about House Bill 1804, click here. ( http://kotv.com/special/immigration/ )
http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=138946

When they walked off their jobs and didn't shop at any stores in Manassas (Prince William County), it had no effect whatsoever. I'm not sure anyone even noticed. They have a delusional sense of how important they are. We won this battle and we will continue to win battles all over OUR country. Our citzens are tired of the BS. There are a lot more of us than there is of them.

"We're going forward with the same services tomorrow that we offered today," said Richard Klinge, director of advocacy and legal services for Catholic Charities.

He should be the first one arrested. It would send a powerful message.

The several church bodies should establish rules of ethics for their church leaders. It is wholly unfair for a priest, minister, rabbi, et al, to use their religious garb and the implied dignity of their position to advance a personal belief that is contrary to law.

Just woke up humming "Oklahoma" The corn is as high as an .............

[quote]On the other side of the argument, the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Religious Leaders accused the Tulsa mayor, police chief and Tulsa County Sheriff’ Department, as well as state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, of “ethnic cleansing.â€

Ay, the spin! Ethnic cleansing? Please! No one is advocating killing anyone.

I am latina and a legal citizen (not thru amnesty), I have no problem with this law at all. Legal residents of this country will not be affected at all.

Some latino activists are amongst the ones who exploit the illegals for a variety of reasons, mostly financial gain. They prey on the fear that illegals have about the "racist" Americans, they take advantage of the illegals who don't speak English and "translate" for them (read the Prince William County 13 hour marathon meeting where the translator was caught lying in her translation and freaked out).

The Catholic church has a major interest in hispanic illegals because hispanics give $$ to the church, we are very religious.

I remember when we came to America, the ones who took advantage of us the most were the ones who spoke our language! Our best defense was to learn English. That's when we found out we were being screwed!

This is a good law and one that took a long time in coming, I do not believe there will be racial profiling since the world is watching. What it will do is ENFORCE federal laws already on the books!

LEGAL latinos are at risk of discrediting themselves if their leaders are continually advocating for ILLEGALS. Illegal Aliens are not a race! They are a specific group of criminals, those that break immigration laws (a federal crime) and commit "entry without inspection" without possessing proper visa documents. To continually blur and obliterate the very specific line between LEGAL immigrants and ILLEGAL immigrants is treading on very shaky ground. Latino/Hispanic advocacy groups, by continually advocating for ILLEGAL immigrants, discredit any message they try to present. Until they come out in support of the rule of law and following proper immigration procedure, they will never be taken seriously and will always be met with resistance from groups like ALIPAC and law abiding American citizens.

Latinos that have immigrated to America LEGALLY need to speak up and drown out the radicals because, I believe, the radicals don't speak for them. I am of partial Spanish heritage but I see nothing in common with myself and the stated positions of the advocates for ILLEGAL immigrants.

I know some Americans that are finally tired of this BS rhetoric and WE are tired of having "no hope of going to college, no hope of getting a good job Because Mexicans are taking all of them. WE get angry."

1 state down, 49 to go.