Published April 1, 2007

Catholic Charities Official Leaving
Cox Battles Immigration Bill Till the End

By Eileen Dugan
Sooner Catholic

OKLAHOMA CITY — After 19 years, Shirley Cox is leaving Catholic Charities of the Arch- diocese of Oklahoma City. She has accepted a position as legal services director for the Dep- artment of Human Services. After close to two decades of fighting for the less fortunate and representing those whose voices often go unheard, one would think she might choose to coast through her final days at Catholic Charities. But     Shirley Cox visits with David Johnson, business manager for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma  that’s just not the way        City, during a reception held in her honor at the offices of Catholic Charities.
Shirley Cox operates.

That’s why on March 14, Cox led a group of Catholic adults and several dozen Hispanic high school students to the state Capitol where they challenged proposed legislation that would deny education support to the ones Cox describes as “living on the margins” of society. They were there to decide how to proceed against the passage of HB 1804, the Illegal Immigration Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007.

“Our Lobbying Day was very impressive,” said Cox, whose most recent title at Catholic Charities has been associate director of Advocacy, Outreach and Legal Services. “Some of the most effective advocacy efforts were by the kids,” she said.

Cox said 40 students from Santa Fe High School “wanted to express their opinions to the legislators. They spoke with several senators including Sen. (Kenneth) Corn and Sen. (James) Williamson, co-authors of HB 1804 and with Rep. Randy Terrill, House author of the bill. It was inspiring to see the students frame the education and in-state tuition issues from their perspective. I think our viewpoint was heard and appreciated. The dialogue was great.”

Cox said the lobbying effort made a great impact because unlike so many who approach the lawmakers, these young people were not making a self-serving request.     

“All the kids that spoke were United States citizens, so repeal of the in-state tuition provision would not affect them,” Cox said. “But it would affect their friends and their school. They wanted the authors of the bill to know that they are future voters and that they would be watching what happens.”

Joining Cox were Catholics from Saint Eugene, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Charles Borromeo and Saint James parishes, together with representatives from Catholic Charities in Tulsa, Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City, and Santa Fe High School in Edmond.

The group was particularly opposed  to  HB  1804’s  provision repealing in-state tuition for college students. They hoped that by working together they could save in-state tuition for the following higher education students:

Those who have resided in Oklahoma with a parent or guardian for two years.

Those who have graduated from an Oklahoma high school or have completed a GED in the state of Oklahoma.

 And those who, if undocumented, have filed an affidavit with their institution of higher education indicating that they have pending an application with the immigration service or that they will file an application to legalize their position at their earliest opportunity.

According to fact sheets provided by Cox, legislation to provide in-state tuition to the students listed above was passed in a bipartisan effort four years ago. During the last school year, only 244 undocumented students out of almost 200,000 higher education students were admitted to college under this provision. These same students paid $238,758.12 in tuition and fees, adding to the revenue of Oklahoma colleges and universities. The ratio of tuition and fees paid by the students to the state-furnished financial aid is 2 to 1.

Cox also furnished information to the lobbyists showing that HB 1804 requires schools and governmental agencies to issue IDs to U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, nationals and others who are authorized to be in the United States. By identifying the undocumented, this requirement creates tension with the Supreme Court ruling that allows all students to attend K-12 in the public schools, regardless of their immigration status. Parents of undocumented students would likely feel compelled to keep their children home rather than subject them to scrutiny by   the ID requirement and the fear of possible deportation.

Further study of the fact sheets reveals that HB 1804 would make it a state felony to transport or harbor an alien who has violated entry laws of the United States. This felony provision already exists in federal law, so it adds another layer and even more responsibilities to already over-burdened state law enforcement officers.

It is also likely that this felony provision would deter “community policing” efforts, in which law enforcement officers work in concert with immigrant communities to arrest gang members, drug dealers, robbers and other criminals in the community.

The  bill  would  also  require agencies  accepting  public  benefit applications to verify lawful presence unless the application is for an emergency, non-cash emergency disaster relief, immunizations, soup kitchens, crisis counseling, short-term shelter or prenatal care.

The fact sheet also mentions that in other states where similar measures have taken effect, many legal immigrants and U.S.-citizen family members were deterred from seeking social services, including nutrition assistance programs for which they were eligible.