News (Noticias) for Oklahoma

It’s been the trend across the country for state legislators to stand behind their respective chamber podiums, declare they’re doing the will of the people and proceed to create and pass laws aimed at making life so uncomfortable for undocumented immigrants that they will feel they have no other option but to leave the state.”*

*From: http://www.latinalista.net
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

The Hispanic population has increased throughout the public school system, according to findings released by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Last week, the State Department of Education issued a press release that indicated a record number of 641,721 students were enrolled in Oklahoma public schools on Oct. 1. Hispanic children accounted for 10 percent of the student population. The figure jumped from 4.5 percent, recorded in October 1997.”*

*From: http://www.normantranscript.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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Source of quote: http://www.usatoday.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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From: http://www.usatoday.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Autumn had arrived in eastern Oklahoma, and workers at the sprawling Greenleaf Nursery were prepping for deadly frosts. They needed to ship plants, erect greenhouses and bunch trees together to protect them against the cold.

But in late October, about 40 employees disappeared from the 600-acre nursery about an hour’s drive from Tulsa. “Some went to Texas, some went to Arkansas,” nursery President Randy Davis says. “They just left.”

Why did the workers, all immigrants, flee? “Those states don’t have 1804,” Davis says.”*

*From: http://www.usatoday.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Attorneys for a Tulsa County man filed a lawsuit today seeking to declare a new anti-illegal immigration law unconstitutional.

Plaintiff Michael C. Thomas seeks to prevent public funds from being spent by the state and Tulsa County to enforce what the lawsuit calls an unconstitutional statute.”*

*From: http://www.kten.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

An increase in Hispanic students helped fuel record enrollment in Oklahoma public schools.

A state Education Department report today shows there are 641,721 students as of October 1st. The report shows Oklahoma’s 2007-2008 public school population is 10% Hispanic, compared to 4.5% 10 years ago.”*

*From: http://www.kten.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Oklahoma’s local law against illegal immigration is among the toughest in the nation. The law went into effect Nov. 1, and advocates for undocumented workers and activists for tougher immigration measures both say that since then, thousands of immigrants have left Oklahoma.Among other things, the new law makes it a felony to harbor, transport or aid an illegal immigrant. Hispanic leaders say the law is causing widespread fear in the Hispanic community. Builders say they can’t get enough workers and are threatening a lawsuit to try to block the law.”*

*From: http://www.npr.org
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Some businesses in southern Oklahoma City with a connection to the Hispanic community have seen their profits drop since a sweeping law against illegal immigration took effect.

Grider Food Stores, which is a major distributor of Hispanic foods, had a reported sales decline of more than $500,000 during the last three months. Business at Carniceria El Torito, a meat purveyor, has been off about 30 percent since House Bill 1804 took effect Nov. 1. “*

*From: http://www.tulsaworld.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

The latest court ruling against a challenge to Oklahoma’s tough new immigration law will be appealed, says the leader of a national Hispanic group behind the lawsuit.

On Friday, a Tulsa federal judge refused to reconsider an earlier ruling dismissing a lawsuit against House Bill 1804.”*

*From: http://www.journalrecord.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A story reported by Hispano de Tulsa of Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the hardest areas hit by HB 1804 and suffering a toll on the local Latino community, is about a 16-year-old boy who was stopped by police at a makeshift checkpoint that our sources tell us are now randomly being set up around the state to catch undocumented immigrants driving without licenses or insurance.

This boy was caught at one of these checkpoints and arrested. A friend who was with him was told by the officer that the boy would be released if someone came and paid his $500 fine. The friend was released and immediately called the boy’s family.”*

I actually got pulled over by an Oklahoma State Trooper last week. I didn’t get a ticket (something to do with my car’s tags) so I had to ask him about immigration in Oklahoma and he said that the State Troopers don’t have the budget or manpower to deal with undocumented that they stop. Other than that he didn’t even seem aware of the new law. He was just a nice guy doing his job.

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson said he doubts the state’s controversial new immigration law will be overturned, but he added the measure has caused state government some problems.

“If there are any positive aspects of 1804, we are not going to see them in the short term — that’s if we ever see them. We are seeing many negative impacts immediately,” Edmondson told the Governor’s Advisory Council on Latin American and Hispanic Affairs on Monday.

“It was my obligation to defend this. I only have to argue the legality of it. I’m very grateful I do not have to argue the morality of it.”"*

Messengers to the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma passed a resolution emphasizing non-discriminating ministry to illegal immigrants and adopted a record budget of $24.6 million.

“Finishing the Task” was the theme of the convention, which brought almost 900 messengers to First Baptist Church of Moore.”*

Retailers and employers whose success depends on Latino business and workers have felt the pinch since Oklahoma’s anti-illegal immigrant law went into effect on Nov. 1. Some undocumented immigrants have left the state and others are reluctant to venture outside of their homes.

“There is a definite shortage of workers,” said Mike Seney, senior vice president of operations for The State Chamber, a business and industry group that represents 1,500 employers statewide.

With Oklahoma’s unemployment rate at just 4.2 percent of the labor force _ lower than the national rate of 4.7 percent _ contractors and businesses need workers to fill their labor pools, Seney said”*

And Rodriguez is not alone. The Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce estimates that more than 300,000 Hispanics now live in state — with a large portion in Oklahoma City — and the number is growing rapidly. Many of them are sports fans who find themselves in the same situation as Rodriguez. While soccer is still the traditional sport to play and follow, OU football has steadily become a close second, especially in younger generations. And people are starting to take notice.

Saturday, for the second time ever, Tyler Media’s KTUZ-FM “La Zeta” 106.7 will broadcast the OU-Oklahoma State football game in Spanish. The radio station’s decision to carry Bedlam comes after its first foray into Sooner football — OU’s 51-13 victory over Miami on September 8 — received overwhelmingly positive responses from the community.”*

A new Oklahoma law designed to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver’s license is causing problems for other drivers. Oklahoma tag agents say renewing a license now isn’t as easy as it used to be. KTEN’s Hailee Holliday reports.

In order for someone to renew their driver’s license they must now go to a Department of Public Safety Driver’s License Examiner to have their citizenship verified. You must show an examiner a certified birth certificate, a valid passport, a certificate of naturalization or a citizen born abroad certificate. “*

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 made it a crime for a citizen to harbor a runaway slave or to offer any assistance to slaves who had run away from their masters. The act was part of the compromise of 1850, which preserved the balance of power in the U.S. Congress between the slave and free states. But it served to inflame passions in the Northern free states where many former slaves had found refuge and gave great impetus to the Abolitionist movement.

Many Northern clergymen had been offering assistance to runaway slaves through the underground railroad, and continued to do so after the law’s enactment.

The Rev. Luther Lee, a Methodist minister in Syracuse, N.Y., said of the Fugitive Slave Act: “I never will obey it. I had assisted 30 slaves to escape to Canada during the last month. If the authorities want anything of me, my residence is at 39 Onondaga Street.” “*

When Luis Hernandez moved from Mexico to Oklahoma City 14 years ago, there weren’t many other Hispanics to play soccer with. Standing inside OKC Indoor Soccer Arena on a recent Monday night, the 29-year-old construction worker couldn’t help but marvel at how times have changed.

“Now, there’s a ton of Mexicans,” Hernandez said. “We’re even seeing an increase in players from countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.”

With the rapidly growing Hispanic population in Oklahoma — the Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce estimates more than 300,000 Hispanics now live in the state — soccer business is booming at OKC Indoor Soccer Arena (ISA), a division of Let’s Play Sports; and Hat Trick Indoor Soccer Center, Oklahoma City’s two major indoor facilities. At ISA, manager Will Lutz estimates that 50 percent of his players — out of 300 teams — are Hispanic. When he took over 24 years ago, that number was less than 10 percent. At Hat Trick, owner Rasool Faily has 35 to 40 Hispanic teams that play on Sunday evenings alone — his biggest night of the week.”*

The state of Oklahoma has begun implementing a new law that is described as the toughest in the nation against illegal immigrants. Supporters of the law say it will reduce crime and curb use of taxpayer funded services by people who have no right to be in the United States. But Latino groups, joined by civil rights groups and churches say the new law is fostering discrimination. VOA’s Greg Flakus has more in this report from Houston.

The new law makes it illegal to hire, transport or house an illegal immigrant and authorizes police in Oklahoma to assist federal immigration authorities in enforcing U.S. immigration law. The law also denies state services to undocumented aliens and imposes penalties on employers who hire them.”*

Some Tulsa ministers say Oklahoma’s new immigration law took a toll on attendance Sunday morning. Some churches were down almost 30%. The News On 6’s Joshua Brakhage reports ministers blame the empty pews on Hispanic families who have left Oklahoma and others who stayed away out of deportation fears.

“I know a lot of people who already left,” said Mario, who is working toward citizenship.

Mario and his wife, Leticia, say they’ve thought of leaving, too, but decided it would be too hard on their son and two daughters. Leticia and Mario are Mexican immigrants, but their children are American. Mario first came to the United States 18 years ago.”*

Oklahoma’s new anti-illegal immigration law has some farmers and agricultural businesses scrambling for laborers as Hispanic workers fearful of being deported stay away from work.

The law, which went into effect on Thursday, gives local authorities more enforcement options against undocumented workers and increases penalties against employers who hire or harbor illegal immigrants.”*

So did you know this? If you didn’t, perhaps you could send it to someone you know to help spread the knowledge and please tell them about HispanicTips.

View more “Did You Know?” facts in our “Did You Know?” section

Almost 1,100 signed pledges of resistance to Oklahoma’s new immigration law have been delivered to Gov. Brad Henry’s office.

The pledges - signed by parishioners at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oklahoma City - were delivered Tuesday by Richard Klinge, director of advocacy and legal services for Catholic Charities.”*

Latino leaders say a new state law that targets illegal immigrants promotes hatred and predicted it will be blocked by a federal judge.

Hispanic officials and their supporters gathered at the state Capitol three days before Oklahoma’s sweeping immigration bill is scheduled to go into effect on Thursday.”*

“A state law that cracks down on illegal immigration does not go into effect until Thursday, but Hispanic advocates said it has already led to fears that have driven thousands of people from Oklahoma.

Oklahoma is poised to join states like Arizona, Colorado and Georgia that have passed similar measures out of frustration with Congress’ failure to act on comprehensive immigration reform.”*