Oklahoma is no longer "O.K." for illegal aliensWhat is Arkansas willing to do?

In May, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry (D) signed into law HB 1804 which was passed by by overwhelming majorities in both the Oklahoma House (84-14) and Senate (41-6). The bill's sponsor, Oklahoma State Rep Randy Terrill (R), says the bill has four main topical areas: it deals with identity theft; it terminates public assistance benefits to illegals; it empowers state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws; and it punishes employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

Terrill addressed that, "states are separate sovereigns in our federal system. Anyone who doesn't understand that needs to go back and take an American federal government class in college." As a result of that sovereignty, "we have as much right -- in fact, I would argue, a responsibility -- to protect our taxpayers against that sort of egregious waste, fraud and abuse as the federal government should have a responsibility to protect that international border, but doesn't do that." Terrill says as long as the federal government refuses to do its job of protecting the international borders of the U.S., states like Oklahoma must take action to deal with the problem. More than 100,000 illegal immigrants are estimated to live in Oklahoma. The Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has said they cost state taxpayers up to $200 million a year in public benefits, law enforcement costs and other resources.[Sources: Seaspook's Rants and Durant Daily Democrat]

ARRA Editor's Question: What is Arkansas willing to do to address its project $117 million (for 2006 based on only expenditures for education, emergency medical care and incarceration) created by more than 49,000 (2005 est.) illegal immigrants living (not considering illegals transiting Arkansas)? The costs are projected to rise unless we gain control over our borders and our work sites. If a new amnesty and increases in immigrants and guest workers were enacted, as proposed by business and ethnic advocacy groups, the projected cost to Arkansas taxpayers for those same programs would rise to $202 million in 2010 and to $356 million in 2020.

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Tags: Arkansas, FAIR, illegal immigrants, Oklahoma, taxes