Some Oklahoma lawmakers consider filing bill that would be tougher than Arizona’s law

A group of state lawmakers said they will consider filing an immigration bill this session that would be tougher than Arizona’s new law.

Confiscating vehicles driven by illegal immigrants and preventing children from becoming citizens at birth if both their parents are illegal immigrants are proposals being discussed, Rep. Randy Terrill said Thursday.

"The focus is going to be very similar to what Arizona’s done, and we’re going to see if we can’t beef up some of the law enforcement, public safety aspects of cracking down on illegal immigration and rolling up the welcome mat for illegal aliens here in the state of Oklahoma,” said Terrill, R-Moore.

The Arizona law makes it a state crime to be in that state illegally and requires law officers to check documents of people they reasonably suspect to be illegal immigrants.

Several civil rights organizations have criticized such proposals in Oklahoma and have vowed to oppose them in the Legislature and, if necessary, in the courts.

"For doing nothing more than standing on a street corner and drawing breath, a person with brown skin can be profiled,” said Chuck Thornton, deputy director of the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"This is one of the most un-American proposals we’ve been aware of,” Thornton said.

Requiring residents to produce papers when inquired by law officers is something expected in post-World War II East Germany, he said.

"Some may accuse us of being here prematurely,” Thornton said during a state Capitol news conference.

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next