There are three questions Oklahomans should ask legislators about the new anti-immigration bill.
Following the steps of states like Florida and Texas, this week Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat along with House Speaker Charles McCall filed House Bill 4156 to crack down on illegal immigrants in Oklahoma. The bill passed the House and is now going to the Senate. The main argument behind this legislation is that it will allow law enforcement officers to target criminals.
Under the measure, anyone in the country illegally will face a misdemeanor and a $500 dollar fine. Violators will be given 72 hours to leave the state. A second offense would be a felony with a fine of up to $1,000 and up to two years in prison.
How big is the problem?
It’s understandable why the federal government and border states with a large number of undocumented immigrants are addressing this issue. But just how big of a problem is it for Oklahoma? According to the American Immigration Council, there are 217,967 immigrants in Oklahoma, of which 68,869 are undocumented. With so many pressing issues the state is currently facing — education, workforce development, housing and an already overcrowded and underfunded correctional system, should targeting 1.7% of the population be a priority?
The false claim that immigration brings crime waves can be traced back to the first immigrants who arrived in the United States. Yet, extensive research by Stanford University and several other institutions show immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born Americans.
More: Why Oklahoma is joining lawsuit to support Texas law to arrest, deport illegal immigrants | AG
What is the economic impact?
According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants in Oklahoma account for $5.5 billion in consumer spending and contribute more than $1.7 billion in taxes in Oklahoma. More than 20,000 are entrepreneurs generating $321 million in annual revenue and 6,125 are international students paying $165 million in fees to higher education institutions. Furthermore, undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma pay $200 million in taxes and account for $1.7 billion in consumer spending.
Imagine this law passes and we do away with undocumented immigrants. Forget direct costs of mass deportation, loss of consumer spending and tax contributions. Who pays for home, car and business loans left behind? What happens to minors who are legally here if parents are deported? Will they be placed in our overwhelmed and underfunded Oklahoma Department of Human Services system?
More: Oklahoma's GOP lawmakers are calling for a state immigration policy similar to Texas
How will this law be implemented?
Immigration is an area of federal oversight and a lot of undocumented immigrants are waiting for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to process their case. This means many undocumented immigrants are already accounted for in the ICE system. How will officers decide how to treat those with a pending status? Who pays for the training of law enforcement? Who pays for potential lawsuits should people be wrongfully profiled?
Given the data and potential economic impact, I question the true motive of this legislation. It seems to be a fear tactic often used by politicians to rattle their base. The sad thing is that we are talking about real people. Most undocumented immigrants are net contributors to our economy and society. They are parents, friends and family to many Oklahomans. We should absolutely arrest and deport bad characters, but how we go about it matters. Demonizing groups of people is not the way to go.
On Friday we remembered the victims and survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing that happened 29 years ago. This horrific event should remind us what extreme radicalized individuals can do and the importance of not fueling extremism for political points.
Erika Lucas is the founder of StitchCrew, an organization providing support to the new majority entrepreneurs and VEST, a peer network of women professionals and investment fund for women-led companies.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma's proposed immigration legislation appears to be fear tactic
