'It's Going To Cost Oklahomans A Lot Of Money To Fight This': Local Immigration Attorney Reacts To New Immigration Law

Republican leaders at the Oklahoma Capitol are touting a newly signed law. House bill 4156, known as the immigration bill, was signed by Governor Stitt this week.

In a statement, Governor Kevin Stitt says, “this is an opportunity for our state to continue to find solutions where the federal government has failed.”

Under the new law, anybody caught in Oklahoma illegally will be jailed or fined, and must leave the state in 72 hours. But there's still confusion and concern about the logistics of the new law.

“Immigration is complicated,” said Melissa Lujan, Oklahoma City immigration attorney. “On paper we don't know who this applies to and we have no idea how in actuality in day-to-day life they would actually go about determining who is undocumented.”

Lujan says she has a list of concerns about the new law, saying the biggest problem is the vagueness of the language. 

“There's no real clarity at who this law is talking about and therefore how it is going to be enforced, which is one of the biggest problems,” said Lujan.

Along with signing the new law, Governor Kevin Stitt announced a new taskforce for work permits and visas, saying it will “find ways to bolster our workforce and create opportunities for those who are here contributing to our communities and economy.”

“I don't understand how you even know a person's immigration status by looking at them so I don't understand what that taskforce is going to be tasked with doing,” said Lujan.

Lujan says this law could lead to racial profiling. 

“I have had us citizens tell me, 'We're leaving. I don't want to be here anymore because I don't want my kids to grow up thinking they are second class or suspect because they're Latino and they speak Spanish,'” said Lujan.

Lawmakers say this will only impact people who are arrested for a crime, then are caught here illegally.

“In the law, they wrote immigrants commit so much crime, that’s why we're doing this. But what I see every day is how many immigrants are victims of crime,” said Lujan.

Another concern of Lujan's, is this will put already vulnerable populations in more danger.

“If criminals know that these people have every incentive not to call the police because they're in trouble when it's discovered that they don't have status, it's just going to embolden criminals,” said Lujan.

She says this is especially troubling for children and victims of domestic violence who may be afraid to file for divorce, testify in court or even call police, fearing they may get in trouble themselves for their immigration status in the process.

Other states including Texas and Iowa have passed similar laws, which ended in lawsuits. Lujan says she expects the same thing from this new law.

“It's going to cost Oklahomans a lot of money to fight this case,” said Lujan.