NATO AIR
01-17-2008, 10:36 AM
So they all but acknowledge that they can't compete if they have to offer a wage that actually is more than a dollar to someone who isn't a desperate illegal. Good for them, I hope they go out of business and go to jail if they're stupid enough to try to break it. And thank God for the judges who have common sense and have turned down the appeals.
ttp://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-09-immigcover_N.htm
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.
In a matter of weeks, "1804" has become part of the Sooner State's lexicon. It refers to House Bill 1804, the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, arguably the nation's toughest state law targeting illegal immigrants.
Dozens of state legislatures, citing inaction by Congress, have adopted measures aimed at curbing illegal immigration. Oklahoma's new law, which took effect Nov. 1, is particularly far-reaching and has begun sending ripples through the state's economy and its immigrant communities. Besides highlighting the impact of illegal immigration on Oklahoma, the law has made the state a laboratory in the national debate over immigration.
The Oklahoma measure is broader than a controversial Arizona law that suspends or revokes business licenses of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Among other things, 1804 makes it a felony to transport or shelter illegal immigrants. It also denies illegal immigrants driver's licenses and public benefits such as rental assistance and fuel subsidies.
Many business owners are especially nervous about provisions of 1804 that kick in July 1, when employers with government contracts must start checking new hires against a federal database to make sure they are legally eligible to work. If the employers don't, they won't get the contracts.
ttp://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-09-immigcover_N.htm
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.
In a matter of weeks, "1804" has become part of the Sooner State's lexicon. It refers to House Bill 1804, the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, arguably the nation's toughest state law targeting illegal immigrants.
Dozens of state legislatures, citing inaction by Congress, have adopted measures aimed at curbing illegal immigration. Oklahoma's new law, which took effect Nov. 1, is particularly far-reaching and has begun sending ripples through the state's economy and its immigrant communities. Besides highlighting the impact of illegal immigration on Oklahoma, the law has made the state a laboratory in the national debate over immigration.
The Oklahoma measure is broader than a controversial Arizona law that suspends or revokes business licenses of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Among other things, 1804 makes it a felony to transport or shelter illegal immigrants. It also denies illegal immigrants driver's licenses and public benefits such as rental assistance and fuel subsidies.
Many business owners are especially nervous about provisions of 1804 that kick in July 1, when employers with government contracts must start checking new hires against a federal database to make sure they are legally eligible to work. If the employers don't, they won't get the contracts.