Read all of the Tulsa World’s coverage of House Bill 1804.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s controversial immigration reform law, set to take effect this week, tightens several regulations for law enforcement, employers and students.

The majority of House Bill 1804, by Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, and Sen. James Williamson, R-Tulsa, takes effect Thursday.

Perhaps among the law’s most well-known provisions is a rule that deems transporting or sheltering an undocumented immigrant a felony.

However, the rule is aimed at employment and tenant situations, Terrill said.

“What it is not aimed at are situations where there is a purely educational, charitable, religious or other humanitarian purpose involved,” he said. That means transporting someone to church, school or the hospital is not against the law, he said.

However, the law makes it a felony for a spouse or employer to take an undocumented immigrant to work, Terrill said. A landlord renting to someone they know, or should have known, to be illegal would also be a felony, he said.

Also, while undocumented students who graduate from an Oklahoma high school

The law also makes clear that driver’s licenses and identity cards can only be issued to citizens, nationals and legal immigrants. School identification cards are allowed, as long as the ID states it is only valid for identification purposes at school.

The bill also requires public employers to verify the employment eligibility of all new hires using a federal system. Beginning July 1, 2008, the rule extends to private employers who contract with government entities.

The bill also includes several other employment provisions, including that employers could be held accountable for discrimination if they fire a legal resident, but retain an undocumented worker in a similar position.

However, if the employer uses the government’s status verification system, they are exempt from liability.

Main provisions of House Bill 1804

• Makes transporting, concealing or sheltering an undocumented immigrant from detection a felony.
• Allows certain undocumented students to pay in-state tuition but requires them to prove they are apply for legal status.
• Restricts eligibility for state driver’s licenses and ID cards to citizens, nationals and legal immigrants.
• Keeps state and local governments from contracting with businesses that do not verify citizenship of their employees.
• Requires businesses to use the federal government’s Status Verification System to determine employees’ status beginning July 1, 2008.
• Requires all state and local agencies to verify lawful presence of applicants for state or local public benefits using a federal system.
• Authorizes the Department of Public Safety to establish a Fraudulent Documents Identification Unit, which is contingent on funding.
• Requires undocumented immigrants who commit a crime to be deemed a flight risk for bond determination purposes.

Angel Riggs (405) 528-2465
angel.riggs@tulsaworld.com