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.

Local and state law enforcement agencies do not expect major changes in their day-to-day operations when House Bill 1804 takes effect on Thursday.

Authorities said that the law does not require, and they do not intend to do, raids seeking illegal immigrants.

"We just don't have enough resources," said Tulsa County Undersheriff Brian Edwards.

However, Tulsa deputies partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in June to begin their stepped up efforts to verify the status of people who are arrested and booked into the Tulsa Jail and place ICE holds on illegal immigrants.

Edwards said Tulsa County is working with ICE as part of the Criminal Illegal Alien Program. He said deputies will also work with ICE on cases involving forged documents, drug smuggling and organized crime.

"People who violate the law have something to worry about," Edwards said.

State Rep. Randy Terrill, the chief author of House Bill 1804, said that once it becomes law, law enforcement has a responsibility

Misconceptions: Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer said there are some misconceptions about what actions the law requires law enforcement agencies to do. He said some people believe that the law contains more law enforcement provisions that it actually has.

"I think a better understanding of the law and what it actually means and what the police can do with that law is imperative, not only within my department, but within the community itself because I think there is a gross misunderstanding about what the law actually says," Palmer said.

There is one section of the law that makes it unlawful for anyone to transport illegal immigrants and there is another section that makes it unlawful to harbor illegal immigrants. Anyone who violates those sections could be convicted of a felony punishable by not less than one year or a fine of at least $1,000, the law states.

"There are only two sections that we consider applicable to law enforcement, in the field anyway, and the rest of it is administrative action," Palmer said.

When officers encounter those situations, they will act accordingly within the depart ment's policy.

"It is another law that we have to consider along with all the other laws," Palmer said.

Checks since June: In June, Mayor Kathy Taylor issued a policy clarification stating that police will work with the Tulsa Jail to conduct the immigration status checks on people who are arrested on felonies and in-custody misdemeanors and the Police Department will report the information to federal authorities.

But it also clearly says that police will not stop, detain, question or arrest anyone based solely on suspicion that the person is in the United States illegally.

Palmer said that if something occurs during a traffic stop that leads to an in-custody arrest -- for instance if they do not have a driver's license -- then their status will be checked in accordance with the department's policy.

The law says that after Nov. 1 all legal identification -- including driver's licenses -- will only be issued to those lawfully in the United States. Therefore, a driver's license is enough to prove one is not an illegal immigrant.

Edwards said each traffic stop by a Tulsa County deputy will be handled on a case-by- case basis.

Hispanic groups have expressed concerns that the law might result in racial profiling. However, Terrill, R-Moore, said that HB 1804 does not target any particular race, ethnicity or national origin.

"There are safeguards in the bill to prevent racial profiling," he said.

Since deputies partnered with ICE to make the status checks "more effective and expedient" several month ago, they don't expect the number of people being held for ICE to increase after Thursday, said Chief Deputy Tim Albin, who oversees the Tulsa Jail.

"This is going to have very little effect on us. This gives us some laws at the state level, but we are already enforcing federal law because of the partnership we have with ICE," Edwards said.

Albin said that there are "a host of things that can alert us to the fact someone may be here illegally or their status is questionable," including their documentation or lack of it.

Albin said that he did not want to be too specific about checks at the jail because it might cause the detainees to adapt to their methods and would make the checks less effective.

The ICE hold means that authorities are verifying something about their status and not everyone who receives a hold is illegal, Albin said.

From June through last week, jail workers conducted 999 status checks, resulting in about 700 detainers. Of that number, about 500 people were actually turned over to ICE, Albin said.

Other agencies: Things won't change much for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, either.

"We are an assistance agency so when we do an investigation we work hand-in-hand with local agencies," spokeswoman Jessica Brown said.

The majority of the arrests the agents make is in coordination with the local law enforcement agency. The prisoner is then transported to jail where jail authorities check their immigration status, Brown said.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Tuesday that it would not have a statement about the effect of the new law until Wednesday.

World Capitol Bureau reporter Angel Riggs contributed to this story.

Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com