On the night before one of the nation’s toughest immigration policies became law, an estimated 1,500 Catholics gathered for a special Mass dedicated to immigrants at St. Francis Xavier Church in Tulsa.
The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Edward J. Slattery, and more than a dozen priests concelebrated. Bishop Slattery has opposed the bill since it was introduced in the Legislature and after it was passed in the spring. The law went into effect on Nov. 1, the day after the All Hallows Eve Mass at St. Francis Xavier.
Bishop Slattery spoke in Spanish to a packed and solemn church. Loudspeakers broadcast the Mass and homily to hundreds of Catholics who listened outside on the cool October evening.
“I would like to everyone here to know that my prayers are with you, with your families, your children and all those whose lives are being undermined as a consequence of those inhuman laws which are taking effect this night,” Bishop Slattery said.
The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, commonly called H.B. 1804, imposes new and strong disincentives for hiring – or even helping - illegal immigrants who already are present in the state.
The new law makes it a felony to knowingly harbor or transport an illegal alien, creates specific barriers to hiring illegal immigrants, requires proof of citizenship to obtain certain government benefits and requires all state agencies and contractors to check the immigration status of all workers after July 1.
Father David Medina, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church, has been dealing with fallout from the new law for nearly a year. His mid-town Tulsa parish is 95 percent Hispanic. Since August, Father Medina says 20 percent of his congregation has moved out of the state.
“At first, I was just trying to heal the confusion caused by the bill. Now that it is law, it is much harder to console the families that are being forced to leave,” he said.
Father Medina, who also serves as director of the Hispanic Apostolate, also keeps tabs on Hispanic Catholics all over the state.
Exact numbers of the people who have left or are planning to leave are very hard to come by. Some Hispanic Catholics have moved to other states. Others have returned to their homelands, primarily Mexico. Others are still in Oklahoma but in hiding, uncertain about what will happen if they apply for a job, try to get a drivers license or even visit a doctor or hospital.
Last summer, St. Francis Xavier had around 8,000 members. Father Medina says now his parishioners number somewhere around 6,500 and he knows of at least 50 more families that plan to leave Oklahoma.
“There’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of distress. They feel persecuted by this law,” Father Medina said.
Even though the law is in effect, much about H.B. 1804 is uncertain.
Rumors have run rampant in the Tulsa Diocese. The Tulsa World has reported that families without proper immigration documentation are being evicted from apartments. There are unsubstantiated reports in the Hispanic community that individuals who have spoken to the media were deported.
Both the Tulsa Police Department and the Tulsa County Sheriff office have expressed concerns over having the time and the manpower to enforce the new law.
Both the Diocese of Tulsa the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City are against H.B. 1804.
Last week, Eusebius J. Beltran, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, other Oklahoma City Catholic priests and members of the religious community there signed and made public a Pledge of Resistance to H.B. 1804.
The one-page statement read: “With the advent of this new law, we unite ourselves in opposition and defiance of this unjust and immoral law,” it said.
Bishop Slattery was out of town when signatures for the pledge of resistance were being compiled, but he said he agreed with the sentiment and has been saying so for more than a year.
“As baptized members of Christ we cannot be silent or complicit with those who abuse the God-given dignity of the children of God,” he said in his homily at the Mass on behalf of immigrants.
