Oklahoma Restaurant Association and State Chambers sue to keep Slave Labor

U.S., Oklahoma Restaurant Association and State Chambers sue over HB 1804

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with the Oklahoma City and Tulsa chambers to sue the state over its immigration reform law.

The U.S. Chamber filed for a federal injunction Friday in U.S. Western District Court in Oklahoma City.

The lawsuit targets specific provisions in House Bill 1804.

To avoid the appearance of supporting illegal immigration, the U.S. Chamber narrowed its focus of the injunction because some aspects of the new law appear to be acceptable.

"The Tulsa region is outpacing the rest of the nation in job growth," said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Metro Chamber. "Oklahoma's HB 1804 requires our businesses to police immigration issues through an erroneous system, reduces the pool of legal workers and harms the ability of Oklahoma businesses to grow."

The injunction alleges that two sections of the bill are preempted by federal law and are unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In a prepared statement, the U.S. Chamber stated: "The organizations supporting the injunction explained that the lawsuit focuses on those provisions of HB 1804 which impose unreasonable burdens on Oklahoma businesses and puts them at a disadvantage compared to competitors in other states, and that HB 1804 puts businesses in the impossible position of having to comply with conflicting federal and state laws."

The Oklahoma attorney general's office will defend the constitutionality of the law, a spokesman said Friday.

The law's author, state Rep. Randy Terrill, derided attempts to strike it down.

"It's a repetitive attempt by the pro-illegal immigrant lobby and their allies to defeat House Bill 1804,” Terrill said. "The moral dilemma for big business is that they're basically supporting modern day slavery.”

In the past, state attorneys have argued that the Oklahoma immigration statute does not create new law but simply reiterates existing law and gives law enforcement agencies a means to enforce it.