During Hispanic Cultural Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Wednesday, a roundtable meeting took place alongside the indoor celebration. Latino Caucus members, business leaders, faith leaders, and Governor Kevin Stitt met to discuss the effects of immigration policies in Oklahoma. The decision to move the celebration indoors was influenced by concerns within the Latino and immigrant communities.
According to the Oklahoma Senate press release, Sen. Michael Brooks, said, “Obviously within the Latino community, and especially within the immigrant community…there are people that are scared, there are people that are anxious, there are people that are nervous. Having a huge event on the steps of the Capitol wasn’t the right thing to do this year.” At the roundtable, participants spoke about the economic and social roles immigrant communities play in the state, including perspectives from industries that rely on immigrant labor.
Chris Brewster, superintendent of Santa Fe South Schools and a Southern Baptist pastor, shared the case of a Honduran asylum-seeker working on a roofing crew who was detained, possibly leaving her child without her. He raised concerns about the broader impact of such actions on the community. Gov. Stitt was acknowledged by Sen. Brooks for opposing a proposal to require schools to verify students’ citizenship status each year. Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval added that recent policies have affected both immigrant families and the state’s economy.
