Mexican Government Targets Oklahoma; State Lawmaker Calls for Tough Response

UPDATE

“Obviously, we have struck a nerve. No telling how many millions of dollars have been flowing to Mexico out of Oklahoma; a large portion of it, due to narcotics trafficking and illegal aliens who work for cash, pay no taxes, and then send it by wire straight to Mexico. Our state’s new regulations on the wire transfers of money have obviously put a dent in this flow of cash to Mexico, and serve as a great tool for law enforcement to identify those engaged in such activity.”
- Oklahoma State Senator Anthony Sykes (R-Moore/Duncan)


In response to the Mexican government’s efforts to “bully” the people of Oklahoma through a trade war, state Rep. Randy Terrill today called for imposing “much tougher sanctions on illegal aliens.”

“This represents an attempt by a foreign nation to interfere with the sovereign actions of a U.S. state,” said Terrill, R-Moore. “We clearly not only have the right, but the responsibility to legislate for the public health, safety, morals and welfare of our citizens – not theirs.

“The Mexican government should know that the people of Oklahoma will not be bullied or intimidated by anyone, anywhere.”

This week the Mexican House of Representatives passed a resolution denouncing U.S. states that impose remittance taxes and calling upon the Mexican government to take trade measures against those states.

The resolution specifically targets Oklahoma, saying remittance legislation enacted in this state is an “immoral, abusive and harmful” act against “immigrants’ rights.”

The resolution calls on the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry to ask Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry to eliminate the fee (which he does not unilaterally have the authority to do) and urges the Mexican Government to suspend all of its purchases of products originating in Oklahoma.

Last year, Oklahoma lawmakers voted to assess a 1-percent fee on funds wired out of the state. Revenue collected from the fee is deposited in a “Drug Money Laundering and Wire Transmitter Revolving Fund.”

The fee does not single out any one group of individuals

Terrill noted the proposed sanctions on Oklahoma appear to be a violation of the NAFTA agreement that could result in U.S. countermeasures on Mexico as provided under the NAFTA accords, and that Oklahoma lawmakers also have the ability to respond at the state level.

“If they want to talk about trade sanctions, then they need to first start by cutting off all the dope coming into Oklahoma from Mexico and the disaster of Mexican citizens who are being pushed into Oklahoma by the shamefully dysfunctional Mexican government, where they are draining tax dollars in the areas of health care, education, welfare and corrections,” Terrill said

“On a daily basis, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics investigates cell groups tied to some of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico. Annually, millions of dollars in illegal drugs are coming into Oklahoma from these Mexican cartels for nationwide distribution, and millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds are smuggled or wired back to the Mexican bank accounts of drug traffickers. Law-abiding citizens are not negatively impacted by The Wire Transfer Fee. These individuals are able to redeem the fee on their income taxes,” said Darrell Weaver, director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

“A huge share of the drug problem in Oklahoma is clearly tied to narcotics exported from Mexico along the I-35 corridor,” Terrill said.

He said Oklahoma lawmakers would be fully justified under international law to respond to the Mexican government’s provocations with improved countermeasures against drug and alien smuggling from Mexican states.

“If they really want to pick this fight with Oklahoma, then I will be happy to immediately introduce or amend legislation calling for the state’s current asset-seizure and drug-forfeiture laws to be extended to all immigration-related offenses,” Terrill said. “I’d also like to have good cause to advance legislation denying state-issued birth certificates to children born to illegal-alien parents. And we should restrict the actions of Mexican consulars in Oklahoma who often assist illegal aliens attempting to establish permanent residence and find employment in the United States.

“I do however, urge the Mexican Congress to support a labor ‘boycott’ of Oklahoma by investing in sustainable job creation at home,” added Terrill. “I will encourage our in-state development experts to assist them. It will help improve the employment rate for U.S. citizens and law-abiding immigrants during this national recession.”