Texas Immigration Lawyer & Attorney : Kraft & Associates Law Firm : Visas, Green Card, Citizenship, Deportation : Dallas, Texas

Frustrated by the federal government's failure to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and to address the status of the estimated 12 million already here, state and local governments across the nation have been enacting immigration crackdowns. Oklahoma's new law, which cuts off undocumented immigrants from most government programs and mandates felony charges against anyone who transports or shelters them, has emerged as Exhibit A in the struggle.

Three months after the law took effect Nov. 1, anecdotal indications are mounting that many of Oklahoma's estimated 100,000 illegal immigrants have fled the state. But so are indications that the new law is triggering unforeseen consequences.

Construction companies that relied on undocumented laborers are having trouble completing jobs. Thousands of undocumented children have been dropped from the state's Medicaid program. And business is down sharply at the stores, groceries and restaurants that serve a Hispanic clientele.

No one knows for certain how many undocumented immigrants have left Oklahoma, or where they've gone. But immigration activists suspect some have returned to their countries of origin, while others have moved to neighboring states in search of work -- a development that has prompted nearby states to consider their own Oklahoma-style crackdowns.

Whether the presence of illegal workers helps or harms Oklahoma's economy is a subject of fierce debate.

Proponents of the crackdown assert that undocumented immigrants cost state and local governments more than they contribute through payroll or sales taxes -- a contention supported by a study issued in December by the Congressional Budget Office in Washington. And they say that undocumented workers depress prevailing wages for legal workers, because the illegal immigrants are willing to work for less.

But critics of Oklahoma's law counter that such calculations understate the positive economic effects of the undocumented workers' consumer spending. And they argue that illegal workers fulfill a need: There are not enough willing U.S. citizens to fill the low-skilled farm and construction jobs that keep the state's economy growing.

Ultimately, critics believe the solution is some sort of guest-worker program that permits foreigners into the country to work temporarily but does not grant them access to most government programs and services.

Oklahoma's law

Major points of the law:

*Makes it a felony to harbor, transport, conceal or shelter unauthorized immigrants

*Restricts access to driver's licenses and identification cards

*Terminates several forms of public assistance

*Expands authority of local law-enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration law

*Requires verification of employment eligibility using a federal database