"It's decimating businesses here," he said. "The economy is really slowing down in Tulsa. Employers are having a hard time finding people to work here."

He added that a provision that allows terminated employees to sue an employer who also has undocumented workers on the payroll could leave employers with a dim choice — keep a problematic employee on staff, or fire everyone.

But Terrill said there are safeguards to protect employers and landlords making a good-faith effort to verify the legal status of potential employees or renters through federal verification systems. He said the bill was carefully crafted to get tough on illegal immigration but also to safeguard against discrimination based on national origin.

"There seems to be significant anecdotal evidence that there are large numbers of illegal immigrants who are leaving Oklahoma," he said. "That's what we intended to do. ... These people aren't eligible for employment in the first place."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com