WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the 84-14 passage
 today of the Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 (HB 1804),
 Oklahoma takes up the national leadership standard for true immigration
 reform.
     "HB 1804 is the first national or state-level bill in many years that
 'follows the money' to combat the scourge of illegal immigration," said
 Mike Hethmon, General Counsel of the Immigration Reform Law Institute
 (IRLI). "This bi-partisan measure addresses the root cause of illegal
 immigration -- exploitation of illegal alien labor through corruption and
 taxpayer subsidies."
     IRLI, the nation's only public interest law firm that exclusively
 represents citizen interests in this area, worked closely with state
 leaders to craft a balanced measure that is both tough on lawbreakers and
 protective of the liberties and privileges of ordinary citizens, while
 respecting the constitutional rights of all persons.
     "It took the heartland leadership of Representative Randy Terrill,
 Senator James A. Williamson, Senator Tom Adelson, and the 31 other sponsors
 to find solutions to our immigration crisis where Washington bureaucrats
 have failed the American people," Hethmon noted.
     HB 1804 declares that Oklahoma has "a compelling interest in insuring
 that agencies and employers fully cooperate in the compliance with and
 enforcement of federal immigration law." This comprehensive legislation
 empowers cooperation with the federal government in enforcing immigration
 laws. In addition HB 1804 limits driver's licenses to citizens and legal
 immigrants, mandates a standardized system for verification of employees
 and prevents illegal aliens from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits.
     "HB 1804 is the new national model for rolling back the so-called
 'sanctuary cities' movement, where illegal aliens are encouraged to ignore
 our laws," said Hethmon. "Oklahoma has become a true civil rights pioneer.
 Job discrimination against citizen and legal immigrant workers must stop.
 HB 1804 says there is no job hard-working Americans won't do. Stealing
 American jobs is now a civil rights violation in Oklahoma."
     "It is very significant that the Oklahoma legislature chose May Day,
 the day of lawlessness by the open borders lobby, to send a message that
 they will protect the rights of Oklahoma workers and citizens, regardless
 of any sellout plots being concocted by the President and the corruption
 lobby on Capitol Hill."
 
 

SOURCE Immigration Reform Law Institute