Tulsa World: Wyoming bill targets illegal immigrants

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Wyoming bill targets illegal immigrants

Leonarda Chihuahua, of the St. Thomas More Catholic Church, raises a candle during a candlelight vigil and protest against HB 1804, the anti-illegal immigration law, outside Tulsa City Hall in October 2007. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

By BEN NEARY Associated Press Writer
Published: 1/10/2009 2:18 PM
Last Modified: 1/10/2009 2:23 PM

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Some Wyoming legislators are pushing a bill that would make it a felony to harbor or transport illegal immigrants in the state. The bill also would deny some public benefits to illegal immigrants.

Supporters of the bill say their intention is to make Wyoming employers careful not to hire illegal immigrants, and they emphasize the bill is not intended to target Hispanics. The Legislature rejected a similar bill last year.

Opponents of such legislation argue that controlling immigration is the responsibility of the federal government. They say that similar legislation around the country unfairly targets Hispanic citizens because of the large number of illegal immigrants from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries.

A tough law against illegal immigrants went into effect in Oklahoma early last year. As the Wyoming proposal would do, the Oklahoma law makes it a crime to harbor or transport an illegal immigrant and specifies that they can't receive certain government services.

Some business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Tulsa Metro and Oklahoma State chambers of commerce, have challenged the Oklahoma law in federal court. A federal judge there has agreed to bar state officials from enforcing some provisions of the law and a federal appeals court in Denver now is considering the matter.

Guillermo Rojas is editor of the Tulsa weekly newspaper La Semana del Sur and a member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic and Latino Affairs in Oklahoma. He says he believes the law in that state was motivated by anti-Hispanic sentiment.

"They can put it a different way, but 90 percent or 95 percent of the immigrants that come into Oklahoma are Hispanic," Rojas said.

The Oklahoma law has had wide-ranging effects on that state's Hispanic community, Rojas said. He said many immigrant families have members who are documented as well as undocumented. The law makes it a crime for family members to transport or house each other, he said.

Rojas said the law also puts churches that cater to immigrants in a difficult position. He said clergy who serve immigrants refuse to accept any government prohibition on helping their congregations, even if that means transporting an illegal immigrant to church or otherwise helping them.

Meanwhile, Rojas said business groups are opposing the law because it's hurting businesses in Oklahoma.

"I live in Tulsa, and it's impacting the economy of the city of Tulsa because most of the people who paid the traffic infractions, and all the other types of things, they were Hispanics," Rojas said. "Almost 20 percent of them left the state. There's no money from fines. There's no money from the Hispanics buying groceries, or buying at Wal-Mart, or buying lunch or dinner in a restaurant."

Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, is the main supporter of the Wyoming bill, House Bill 103.

"I want people to be aware that they've got to be careful in whom they hire, and they can't just go hire illegals," Illoway said. "I've got people, and you know them well, who will say, 'you're targeting Hispanics.' I am not targeting anybody; I am targeting illegal immigration."

Illoway said he's concerned that illegal immigrants shouldn't receive state unemployment benefits, workers compensation payments or other benefits.

"We should be trying to hire our own first," Illoway said. "The immigrants should go through the legal channels."

Linda Burt, executive director of the ACLU in Wyoming, said she sees problems with the Wyoming bill and others around the country.

"These kinds of bills are unnecessary because these kinds of laws are federal issues; they're not state issues," Burt said. "States cannot solve the immigration problems on a state-by-state basis. Reform must come on a national level. These kinds of bills unfortunately, are very divisive bills."

The ACLU and other groups have challenged similar laws in other states on constitutional grounds. The ACLU has argued in court that a city ordinance in Pennsylvania that sought to punish landlords and employers who rent to or employ illegal immigrants was unconstitutional.

"From a moral aspect, the thing that seems so basically wrong to me is that these laws are so mean-spirited, and that really concerns me," Burt said. She also noted that many Wyoming businesses that employ immigrants could be hurt by such a bill.

Rep. Owen Petersen, R-Lyman, is one of the co-sponsors of the bill with Illoway. He also said the bill isn't trying to target any particular group.

"I am certainly not against immigration, as long as it follows legal process," Petersen said. "That's what it amounts to. It's not against any nationality, or anything along those lines."

Petersen noted that some businesses in Wyoming are laying off workers in the recent economic downturn.

"The people that are working here ought to have the opportunities to obtain employment on a legal basis, because they're here legal," Petersen said. "They pay taxes, and do other things, and that's really what motivates me to be a sponsor on the bill."

Petersen said that discouraging illegal immigration into Wyoming may also help immigrants themselves.

"What you're getting is human trafficking type situations," Petersen said. "And I feel sorry for the people that are in an illegal immigration status, because they are not afforded rights and protections under the law that I have, and other people who are legal residents of the State of Wyoming."

"A lot of them are victimized, just between you and I, they're paid substandard wages, the housing conditions are frequently horrible, and they know that if they say anything, they're subject to deportation," Petersen said.

By BEN NEARY Associated Press Writer

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	Report Comment spirit07, Tulsa (1/10/2009 2:53:41 PM) Isn't our Bill 1804 hung up in court?
	Report Comment RomeosTune, Tulsa (1/10/2009 2:57:46 PM) Rojas is full of crap. We need to get tougher on these illegals. They don't pay proper taxes. They drive without a license and insurance. When they cause an accident guess what! Your insurance company has to fix your car, you have to pay the deductible and your rates might even go up. Many of them are gang members as well and are robbing and killing people here that were born here and are legal. Get out illegals!
	Report Comment Mr. Peterson, Bar Stool (1/10/2009 4:18:26 PM) Like Cliff says, One word "Illegal"
	Report Comment Mr. Peterson, Bar Stool (1/10/2009 4:24:17 PM) That capital i and lower case L look the same don't they. "illegal"
	Report Comment getreal, (1/10/2009 5:10:31 PM) These illegals are ruining our country and economy. Just where did GWB come from???
	Report Comment Serenity, Tulsa (1/10/2009 5:30:41 PM) This man Rojas is protesting this law because he has a sister who is a pastor of Victory Christian for Hispanics and also he owns a Restaurant and hires Hispanic workers. This law is too bad for his interests.
	Report Comment 4immigrationreform, Glenpool (1/10/2009 5:57:07 PM) Rojas is right. HB1804 was passed thanks to the white supracy groups targeting Hispanics. Traffic accidents could easily be fixed if OK would offer driver licenses. The reality is there are millions of undocumented people in this country and to fix this problem the Federal government must pass a fair and comprehensive immigration reform. I challenge you to get informed and get the facts right! I hope this is not too much to ask.
	Report Comment Biker Patriot, Broken Arrow (1/10/2009 6:06:05 PM) Go Wyoming...Y'all rock on!
	Report Comment Intermittently Semi-Serious, Broken Arrow (1/10/2009 6:11:59 PM) Why bother? These things are already crimes and they go unpunished. Does anyone really believe that the laws will be enforced simply because they have a different classification? I don't. By the way Mr. Rojas, HB 1804 applies to "all" illegals. Also, it is not the fault of white people, or people of any other color, that hispanics seem to be the largest ethnic group violating our immigration laws. These laws apply equally to the white guy from the Soviet Union, the aisian from China and the black man from Kenya. You really need to get away from trying to make this a racial thing and look at it for what it is; the law. Legislation of this type could never pass without the hispanic vote!
	Report Comment justiceawaits, (1/10/2009 6:15:17 PM) I would`nt have thought illeagles would venture that far north.The way the economy is going,it won`t be long before we start heading south looking for jobs.If Bush had spent half the money patroling our borders instead of his BS war in Iraq,our economy would be in a lot better shape,we would`nt have over 4000 war dead,and a lot less illeagle drugs destoying our society would not have made it through.
	Report Comment Serenity, Tulsa (1/10/2009 6:49:50 PM) more people who are against this law is because they take advantage of illegal workers paying them a miserable salary or they are pastors who become rich filling their churches with illegals. They are hipocrits who pretend to help these poor people when they are using them for their own interests.
	Report Comment Razna, Greenville (1/10/2009 7:08:22 PM) My goodness! The sky really is falling on Chicken Little up in Wyoming, ain't it? How many aliens are up there? Four? Heavens to Betsy! Nobody better hire THEM! Cousin Ed might not get a job! Oh me oh my! Coming back to reality for just a brief moment, I wonder whether anybody will consider hiring anybody who looks the least bit like they might possibly be Hispanic -- or otherwise "foreign" -- for fear of maybe having to pay a fine if it turns out they ARE. Hm. Oh yeah! That was the REAL idea here, not to quell illegal immigration, but to quell them dang foreigners! Even if they were actually born and raised here in the U.S. I mean, what business do they have, LOOKING like foreigners? Of course, the notion that an illegal immigrant would go and apply for unemployment benefits always cracks me up, guys. Seriously! They're in hiding! Didn't you know they hide out from the government? Really? You didn't know that?
	Report Comment Daniel Day Simpson, Edmond (1/10/2009 7:27:36 PM) I understand from where Wyoming is coming. I used to love Jackson Hole and Casper. Even Cheney has land up there and lest us not forget that it was the favorite stomping ground of President Clinton. But Jackson Hole was having a serious problem. You had an influx of illegals that put a disproportionate burden on social systems. Jackson Hole has very limited resources. But all of the sudden these people show up who need services but are not willing to pay the taxes that make them possible. From saddle factories to meat processors it was all being done by workers being paid in cash wages under contract labor. These workers were supposed to pay their own taxes but who on contract labor does that if they don't have a legal and valid SSN? All Jackson Hole wants is to make it a crime for the status quo to exist and help them fund the unfunded, mandated social systems.
	Report Comment RomeosTune, Tulsa (1/10/2009 7:52:51 PM) ^5 nordic. Cowboy... Good work ethic? While they're working they are cheating all of us by not paying taxes. One of their tricks is to lie about exemptions on their w-4's. I've seen them claim 14 exemptions before. And this was a 22 year old. Kind of young to have that many kids already. You people that want them around will hopefully have your job taken by one of them.
	Report Comment Delaware Bob, (1/10/2009 7:56:54 PM) WELL, THIS IS GOOD NEWS! FINALLY, MORE STATES STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE. You go, Wyoming! Texas, Utah, North Carolina, Nebraska are right behind you. Pennsylvania will have a law if they can get the law out of the democratic controled committee. Ohio, (I think) is working on a law. With the shape of our economy, its time for the ILLEGAL ALIENS to get out of this Country. They've done enough damage!
	Report Comment carrmakk, Van Nuys (1/10/2009 9:23:41 PM) Razna:You must be joking. Her in LA they demonstrate,march and make demands out in the open. They are eligible for TANF;the former ADFC(Aid to families with dependent children)and state benefits if that state doesn't have citizenship standards such as Mass.where Obamaramas illegal aunt lived in subsidized housing. Also,even in federal housing,if one person is a citizen or a legal resident,they qualify using the legal to sign the lease:Please get the facts before you post.
	Report Comment roc-usa, (1/10/2009 10:34:20 PM) Get all the illegal aliens out of our Country and give them NO benefits whatsoever!!
	Report Comment apache, (1/11/2009 2:53:41 AM) You know illegals may not pay payroll taxes....but they pay taxes when they purchase other things just as we do. If most of you do your family tree you will find that alot of your families started off as immigrants too. So maybe you should take a look in your own back yard before you judge. Do I think that we should give them a free ride? No! But for the ones that are here working and trying to make a living for their families and have not engaged in any illegal activity then why not make it easier for them to become legal.The process is long and expensive. Not only that there our lawyers that do immigration that our not helping this by ripping off the ones that our trying to do the right thing.
	Report Comment spirit07, Tulsa (1/11/2009 7:55:58 AM) CARM, you're hot!
	Report Comment PortTabacco, Los Angeles (1/11/2009 9:15:39 AM) The rest of the U.S. had better smarten up! Have you seen Los Angeles lately? It now looks like a foreign country due to decades of illegal immigration. Stop the new amnesty push! go to numbersusa Free registration for free faxes to your representatives! Tell a friend.
	Report Comment 1804fan, Tulsa (1/12/2009 9:08:59 AM) Great info, RomeosTune, oh that the newspapers would print those facts. The fact is, states have every right to get into the immigration business, since illegals have invaded our towns, trespassed, dirtied and stolen our money. Every time one of them gets a food stamp -- that is theft. It is time all the states took action to get these invaders out. Rojas and others only protect their selfish, greedy interests. I agree, PortTabacco, get involved and get these invaders out. having millions of lawbreakers in our country is not a benefit in any way.
	Report Comment Serenity, Tulsa (1/13/2009 11:00:49 AM) It is sad, but these so called illegal saviors are not working on behalf of these people, they are working on behalf of their greedy interests. They are Hispanic Churches pastors who need these illegals to keep their jobs or they are Restaurant owners who become richer and richer by hiring illegal workers and paying them a miserable salary without any benefits.
	Report Comment :), (1/13/2009 2:52:37 PM) "Why should the Palatine boors [the Germans] be suffered to swarm into our settlements, and by herding together establish their language and manners to the exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a colony of aliens, who will soon be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our anglifying them, and will never adopt our language or customs, any more than they can acquire our complexion." -Ben Franklin

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