"The American Indians found out what happens when you don't control immigration"

OK-FOLLOW THEIR LEAD

Oklahoma's Governor Brad Henry has signed a sweeping immigration reform
bill:

House Bill 1804, that its sponsor believes will go a long way in
dealing with the illegal alien problem in the state.

House Bill 1804 was passed by overwhelming majorities in both the
House and Senate of the Oklahoma Legislature. The measure's sponsor,
State Representative Randy Terrill, says the bill has four maintopical
areas: it deals with identity theft; it terminates public assistance
benefits to illegals; it empowers state and local police to enforce
federalimmigration laws; and it punishes employers who knowingly hire
illegal aliens.

Oklahoma is no longer "O.K." for illegal aliens, Terrill observes.
"When you put everything together in context," he contends, "the bottom
line is illegal aliens will not come here if there are no jobs waiting
for them, they will not stay here if there is no government subsidy,
and they certainly won't stay here if they know that if they ever
encounter our state and local law enforcement officers, they will be
physically detained until they're deported. And that's exactly what
House Bill 1804 does."

The Oklahoma legislator is pleased the bill he sponsored into law
was signed by Governor Henry and believes it will go a long way to curb
the illegal immigration problem in the state. "I would remind people
that states are separate sovereigns in our federal system," Terrill
points out. "Anyone who doesn't understand that needs to go back and
take an American federal government class in college," he says.

As a result of that sovereignty, the Oklahoma lawmaker insists, "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 United States,
states like Oklahoma must take action to deal with the problem that is
costing taxpayers in the state $200 million a year in public benefits,
law enforcement costs, and other resources.