House Bill 1804 has now become the law in Oklahoma. The new law, which took effect Thursday, is the state's attempt to enact immigration reform. About 500 mostly Hispanic protesters gathered at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City to criticize the new state law. A challenge to the law was rejected Wednesday by a federal judge in Tulsa who ruled that the plaintiffs did not provide enough evidence in their effort to get an injunction blocking the law's implementation.
Opponents to House Bill 1804 say they will continue to challenge the state law in federal court. Thursday morning, activist Rev. Miguel Rivera said they believe the state law will eventually be overturned, but in the meantime, Hispanic leaders are telling Hispanics to not trust local police who now have the authority to question immigration status.
"We cannot trust the Tulsa Police Department or the sheriff department. They will definitely do their job which is to try to confirm if your legal status in this country is correct, which is when everything will be loosed against you," said Rev. Miguel Rivera.
The Tulsa County Sheriff's office says it is business as usual, and that it will continue to check immigration status of people who are arrested. Sheriff’s deputies started making those checks this past June.
Watch the video: Opponents Of Immigration Law To Continue Court Battle
For complete coverage of Oklahoma's immigration reform law, click here.