Bill making illegal immigration a state crime headed to governor’s desk

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A bill making illegal immigration a state-level crime in Oklahoma is headed to Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk.

The Republican supermajorities in the Oklahoma House and State Senate fast-tracked the bill that gives state, county and local law enforcement the ability to arrest someone for being in Oklahoma illegally.

Both Democrats and Republicans agreed the U.S. southern border is a mess and it has reached crisis levels.

“The immigration problem is a crisis and it is a problem,” said State Senator Mary Boren (D-Norman). “The United States Federal government has not solved it.”

“The Federal government has completely and utterly failed,” said State Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat (R).

However, despite agreeing that the border is broken, Democrats and Republicans disagreed on how to fix it locally.

After the U.S. Supreme Court said it would allow a similar bill to go into effect in Texas while a lawsuit was pending against it, Oklahoma lawmakers announced last month, they believed the nation’s high court had signaled it was willing to let states take action on what has largely been considered a Federal-level issue.

“The President of the United States has admitted in January, he finally said the border is in crisis. The U.S. Congress, we can point fingers. We can talk about things. They have not done anything to impact it. So what can we do? We can say you should be here legally within Oklahoma,” Treat said.

Treat said President Bill Clinton signed a law back in 1996 that paved the way for states to assist in fighting illegal immigration.

Democrats offered up a counter-plan that would require anyone found to be illegally in the U.S. in Oklahoma the ability to register with the state, get a photo I.D., enter their photo and information into a national criminal database and continue to pay taxes on jobs they hold.

“This is not the Oklahoma Standard,” said State Senator Michael Brooks (D-Oklahoma City). “This is far from the Oklahoma Standard. It paints everyone with a broad brush.”

In addition to offering up a counterplan, Democrats said there is no recourse for anyone living in Oklahoma either as a resident or a U.S. citizen being falsely arrested or discriminated against because of the color of their skin.

“You could be pulled over for something as small as not using a turn signal,” said State Senator George Young (D-Oklahoma City). “... Yes, some people will be pulled over just because of the color of their skin.”

Republicans said illegal immigrants already broke the law when they crossed the border without authorization and they believed any incentive or counterplan would reward breaking the law.

“I urge you to vote for this. I stand before you as a Hispanic female who got here in this building because my grandparents wanted a better life for themselves, but they did it legally,” said State Senator Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan).

Republicans also refused to accept any amendments to any parts of the bill because they wanted to fast-track it to Stitt’s desk where he’s promised to sign it.

The Texas bill Oklahoma’s law is based off of was put back on hold by a lower appeals court while a lawsuit about it is still pending. It’s not clear if Oklahoma’s law, once signed by Stitt, will be impacted by what is happening in Texas.

The City of Tulsa released the following statement in response to the bill heading to the governor’s desk.

“The City of Tulsa was not consulted on this bill and believes there will be consequences in the immigrant community regarding the hesitancy of individuals to report crimes to law enforcement. If Tulsa Police officers encounter persons committing criminal acts, they will arrest them for those criminal acts – as they have always done. There is already a process in place to determine immigration status, but TPD is not part of that process and they do not have immediate access to an immigration database. The Tusa Police Department will always place the United States Constitution first and officers will not detain a person solely based on the color of their skin, ethnicity, or national origin.”