Latino Caucus, business, faith, community leaders and governor hold roundtable meeting on impact of immigration policies

OKLAHOMA CITY – As Oklahomans gathered at the state Capitol on Wednesday to enjoy a celebration of music, dance, food and advocacy during Hispanic Cultural Day, members of the Latino Caucus along with representatives of business, faith and other community leaders also met with Gov. Kevin Stitt to discuss the impact of policies aimed at immigrants, and how it ultimately affects the rest of the state.

Sen. Michael Brooks, caucus chair, said those policies had noticeably impacted Wednesday’s Hispanic Cultural Day celebration. While thousands attended a rally on the south plaza of the Capitol in 2024, this year’s event was held indoors. He said there are always changes from year to year, but there was a conscious decision to make the 2025 event a celebration and about standing up for our neighbors.

“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,” said Brooks, D-Oklahoma City. “Instead of doing that…we reached out to friends and allies…who perhaps could serve as the voice of the community.”

Participants were able to talk to the governor about their concerns, including representatives of businesses, such as landscaping companies, hotels and restaurants, construction, and faith leaders.

“The event this year was about reminding our colleagues that the Latino community is a driving force of Oklahoma’s economy—fueling small businesses, strengthening the workforce, and contributing billions annually through labor, taxes, entrepreneurship, and consumer power,” said Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman. “I was glad that we could lean on our allies and neighbors to stand with us to communicate on behalf of those in our community who might be fearful of coming to the Capitol.”

Business leaders shared concerns that many industries, including hospitality, construction, agriculture and more, are very concerned about policies that tear apart families and disrupt the workforce, presenting tremendous concerns not only on an economic level – they joined with educators and faith leaders in sharing concerns about the spiritual aspect of such policies. Among those participating in the roundtable with the governor was Joel Kersey, regional representative for Oklahoma and Kansas with the National Association of Evangelicals. He talked about a recent study of how immigration and deportation policies are impacting Christians in the United States.

“One in 12 Christians are either facing deportation or know someone who is facing deportation or the potential of that. For us as the Christian community, when one person of our body is suffering or fearing for their livelihood, or whether they can go out of their house the next day, all of us as Christians suffer as a result because we are connected through the body of Christ,” Kersey said. “We care about how we treat one another in regard to our immigration policies, and we also care about securing the border and keeping our country safe. We want to see both of these things together.”

Kersey said they are calling on state and federal officials to fix the broken immigration system through policies that will affect the long-term future of the country and for immigrants who want to come here.

Chris Brewster, superintendent of Santa Fe South Schools in south Oklahoma City, who is also a Southern Baptist pastor and conservative Republican, participated in the roundtable. He said about 97 percent of the charter district’s students come from Hispanic families. He talked about a recent event at one of their schools after a child’s mother was detained and would likely be deported. The mother and son were Honduran and had fled their home seeking asylum in the U.S. to escape the violence in their community. They crossed the border in California and filed asylum paperwork, then made their way to Oklahoma where they found a home and she found work on a roofing crew. While on a lunch break in Meeker, someone in the store called the local sheriff and the entire crew was taken into custody. A neighbor came to pick up the child and he is now with his father in another state, though he may never see his mother again unless he is also deported.

“This is a genuine tragedy that a child in our state, under our care, ends up in this type of crisis because of things that adults did on both sides of the issue,” Brewster said, noting he was aware of hundreds of other similar stories in the community. “As a conservative Christian and an American, I don’t find this to be tenable, the way that we treat children – those that have been made in God’s image – that they should go through this type of turmoil and tragedy because of what’s taking place in our immigration system and how, frankly, we’re treating the sojourner in our state.”

Brooks applauded the governor for opposing Superintendent Walters’ proposed rule requiring students to provide annual verification of their citizenship or documentation status, with Stitt previously saying he would not allow the bullying of children in Oklahoma schools. Brooks, Menz and Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval praised the roundtable participants and said it was an important opportunity to discuss the impact of current immigration policies.

“As a proud Latino legislator in Oklahoma who works closely with various communities, including the immigrant community, I was inspired as business and faith leaders joined us to express their support for their immigrant workers,” said Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City. “With the recent policies and rhetoric targeting immigrants, there has been harm not only to our hardworking families but our entire state’s economic stability.”

– END –

CUTLINE: Members of the Oklahoma Legislative Latino Caucus along with faith and community leaders held a roundtable discussion with Gov. Kevin Stitt Wednesday to discuss the impact of immigration policy in the state. From left to right: Joel Kersey with the National Association of Evangelicals; Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman; Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City; Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City; and Chris Brewster, superintendent of Santa Fe South Schools.

For more information, contact:  
Sen. Michael Brooks: 405-521-5557 or Michael.Brooks@oksenate.gov
Rep. Annie Menz: 405-557-7386 or Annie.Menz@okhouse.gov
Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval: 405-557-7397 or Arturo.Alonso-Sandoval@okhouse.gov