An Oklahoma lawmaker is facing backlash for introducing a discriminatory bill that would label Hispanics as “terrorists.”
Republican state representative JJ Humphrey introduced HB 3133, a bill that would address issues such as drug and human trafficking in the state and punish those who commit these “acts of terrorism.”
The penalty for this type of crime will be the forfeiture of all assets, including all property, vehicles and money.
In addition to “members of criminal street gangs” and “persons convicted of gang-related crimes,” the bill defines a terrorist as “any Hispanic person residing in Oklahoma.”
The move was met with fierce criticism.
State Sen. Michael Brooks, who serves as vice chairman of the Senate Minority Caucus and founded the Oklahoma Latino Legislative Caucus, said Humphrey’s move was not surprising.
“Having laws that treat people differently based on race or ethnicity will only create greater divisions,” Brooks said. “This bill is fatally flawed, and I don’t know if there are many ways to change it.”
Some Oklahomans expressed their outrage on social media.
An X user wrote: “Tell us you’re racist without telling us you’re racist…”
Humphrey apologized, but then doubled down.
“I apologize for using the word Hispanic, but I was not wrong. Again, these are Hispanics. The reality is they are Hispanics. There is nothing to be ashamed of,” he said.
Humphrey said he would revisit the bill and change the wording from “Hispanic” to “illegal and undocumented here, or something like that.”
If passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, the bill would become law and take effect on November 1.
Humphrey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
