November 1st, House Bill 1804 is set to go into effect in Oklahoma. And it’s not without it’s detractors. The law among other things: according to jurist.com seeks to “prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining state identification, and would require all state and local agencies to verify citizenship status of applicants before authorizing benefits. The bill would also require public employers to enter job applicants into an electronic immigration database to verify legal status, and would repeal a 2003 law that permits illegal immigrants to attend state colleges at in-state tuition levels.”
So, now the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is stepping up and may soon ask for an injunction to halt the law in its tracks.
Tough law, tough calls. Again, back to my opinion that throw out the illegal immigrants, and good luck finding anyone to do the dishes in restaurants, clean the bathrooms, do yardwork in the hot sun. It’s that underground economy which keeps the U.S. economy moving. Oklahoma has plenty of Hispanics, and likely many of them are calling out against this bill.
I think the most irritating item to this proposed law is repealing the law allowing illegal immigrants to attend school at in-state tuition. That is not fair….period. Period.
Isn’t the ability for all to get an education what our country was founded on? Holding immigration status against the financial ability to get an education is not fair…period. If an American goes to Mexico or Latin America to study, they are not charged “out of state tuition” they are charged the same tuition all Mexicans or Latin Americans are charged. I know so, because my daughter studied in Brazil, Guatemala, as well as Honduras.
Yes, I side with the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian leaders. But what mostly bothers me about this law, is the denial of educational financial opportunities to people who are human beings like you and me.