An important Mexican diplomat in Oklahoma expressed opposition to an immigration bill allowing law enforcement officials to remove illegal aliens from the state.
Consul Edurne Pineda, a diplomat with the Mexican Consulate in Oklahoma City told KOCO 5 News in an interview that she is opposed to House Bill 4156, which would allow law enforcement officials to arrest and detain people suspected of being undocumented migrants.
Under HB 4156, which passed in the Oklahoma House last week by a 77-20 vote, a crime called impermissible occupation would be created, applying to people who have entered the United States illegally and have remained in the country.
For a first offense, those found guilty would receive a misdemeanor, face a fine of up to $500, serve up to a year in jail, or possibly both. Guilty persons would also be given 72 hours to leave the state.
Pineda added that even though illegal aliens are in the United States “without papers,” they are still hard workers who pay their taxes.
“Undocumented migrants are not criminals, and they do pay taxes. They work really hard. They are here without papers, that is true,” Pineda told the outlet.
Mexico’s migrants “are here because they get employed, because your economy needs them,” Pineda added, noting that “criminalizing them is not going to solve anything, nor is it fair.”
Amid the huge inflow of cheap migrant labor, roughly one-quarter of Oklahoma’s workers earn less than $36,000 a year, according to data provided by ZipRecruiter.
The average yearly salary in Oklahoma is roughly $49,771, which comes out to around $24 an hour, according to the data provided.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) delivers his State of the State address at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on Feb. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Oxford)
Pineda’s words come after a meeting she had with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) and Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall (R) in which she shared her opinions regarding the bill.
The bill was passed by the Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday in a 39-8 vote and will move on to Stitt’s desk to be signed.
Stitt has previously stated that he supports having restrictions on illegal immigration but is unsure about signing the bill.
As Oklahoma follows behind Texas and Iowa in passing similar laws, President Joe Biden has not given a definite answer on if he plans to issue an executive order to address the surge of migrants.
Axios reported that while there was no final decision on whether Biden would issue an executive order curbing the flow of illegal immigration, “such an executive order is likely by the end of April.”
