Anti-immigrant bill under fire
A bill passed this week by the Oklahoma House of Representatives has come under fire by local immigrant advocacy and human rights groups for unnecessarily stirring up fear in the state’s immigrant community while doing little or nothing towards its stated goal of improving public safety.
House Bill 3195 would direct all sheriffs, jailers and deputies to comply with any request made in an immigration retainer request provided by the federal government.
The bill’s Republican coauthors, State Reps. John Pfeiffer and Sean Roberts, claim the measure is necessary to protect Oklahomans from “illegal immigrants” released from local jails before federal agents are able to arrive to take the immigrants into custody.
However, a coalition made up of numerous organizations including Dream Act Oklahoma, the Oklahoma chapter of the ACLU, Oklahomans for Equality and many others has issued a letter condemning HB 3195, stating the bill “mandates state and local authorities to actively engage in separating Oklahoma families and harming communities.”
The letter predicts that the bill, in the likely event it is passed by the senate and signed by the governor, is destined to draw legal challenges as well as condemnation by the court of public opinion.
“While the bill’s constitutionality is disputed, it’s immoral motivation is not,” the letter reads. “We are appalled but not surprised: vicious attacks by legislators upon vulnerable immigrant communities has a long legacy, from HB1804 (2007) and beyond. As HB1804 was subject to lengthy legal disputes over its constitutionality, in which the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld the excision of unconstitutional sections—we envision HB3195 will also invite judicial overrule. This type of legislation only serves to exacerbate the disconnect between politicians and the people they serve.”
The letter goes on to state that the bill would impose unfair costs on the state as well as local law enforcement agencies, because “Local law enforcement and jails are not reimbursed for costs associated with complying with immigration detainers.”
The letter adds that the proposal paves the way for sanctioned abuses of civil and human rights.
“HB3195 is aimed at legalizing racial profiling, police brutality, racism against non-white Oklahomans,” the coalition’s signers insist. “If passed into law, this will be a law of oppression and racism.”
40 agencies and individuals have so far signed the open letter. (La Semana)