Watch a slide show and read all the stories in a series on the immigration of thousands of people from Casa Blanca to Tulsa.

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

U.S. District Judge James Payne has rejected an effot to prevent the state's controversial anti-illegal immigration law from going into effect Thursday.

House Bill 1804 becomes law at midnight.

Payne filed his ruling electronically at 6:04 p.m. Wednesday after the courthouse had closed for the day.

He rejected preliminary injunction requested by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy Inc., another Hispanic advocacy group, two churches, a construction company, a restaurant and several anonymous people.

While Payne didn't blocked the law from taking effect, he did not rule on its constitutionality.

At a Wednesday hearing before Payne, the plaintiffs in the caseargued that the law was unconstitutional.

Attorneys for Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson argued that the law was constitutional and the suit was inappropriate because the plaintiffs couldn't show that they were hurt by the law before it goes into effect.

Payne has scheduled further filings from the plaintiffs and the state. He could later find the law to be unconstitutional.

The law would make it a felony to knowingly transport illegal aliens, created state barriers to hiring illegal aliens, require state contractors to check the immigration status of workers and require proof of citizenship to receive certain government benefits.