Immigration likely a top issue for Oklahoma Legislature alongside Trump administration (2024)

OKLAHOMA CITY — Immigration policy could once again be a top issue at the Oklahoma Capitol this upcoming legislative session.

As President-elect Donald Trump pledges his own federal crackdown, Oklahoma Republicans have unveiled their own ideas that they believe will position the state to quickly expel undocumented immigrants next year.

Critics of the state’s latest anti-immigration efforts though said that Oklahoma’s elected officials don’t appear interested in enacting meaningful policy reforms that make communities safer. They only seem interested in passing extreme policies that garner attention from the Republican president-elect.

They said the Oklahoma is already embroiled in a federal lawsuit related to its last anti-immigration effort, and that deportation is aresponsibilityof federal agencies, not states.

Gov. Kevin Stitt's deportation plans

Earlier this month, Gov. Kevin Stitt unveiled his plan.

He said “Operation Guardian” would deport undocumented immigrants from Oklahoma’s correctional facilities. He tapped Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Tipton to consult with law enforcement, the Trump transition team and the Department of Homeland Security to create and present a plan by Jan. 15.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections houses 526 undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma “jails” which cost Oklahoma taxpayers about $36,000 per day, according to the Governor’s Office.

“As law and order returns to the White House, Oklahoma will lead the charge with a comprehensive plan to deport those who have committed crimes in Oklahoma while in the country illegally,” Stitt said in a statement Nov. 15.

The Governor’s Office and the Department of Public Safety did not respond to a request for comment on how this initiative could interfere withthe rights guaranteed to crime victims.

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Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, said he has submitted language for legislation to create a new charge for undocumented immigrants who commit a crime in the state. This additional charge would carry a sentence of life behind bars or the option of deportation.

He said his plan will save taxpayers money because the state is already paying to educate undocumented immigrants and to care for those participating in Oklahoma’s welfare system.

Humphrey said his idea was “well received” and that he didn’t get any pushback at the interim study where he first mentioned it in October, although he said the study was not highly attended.

Still, he said he expects the support of law enforcement on this bill.

He said he is not sure if the bill is still necessary given Stitt’s proposal, but he is going to hold onto it and decide later whether to file it or to find someone else to file it.

Humphrey said he’s concerned about Stitt’s “consistency” on immigration policy, referencing an immigration task force created by the governor. He said Stitt had presented “mixed messages.”

Stitt created the Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visa Task Force to make recommendations that would “allow immigrants to have the visas, permits and documentation to pursue the American Dream.”The task force’srecommendationsincluded creating an Office of New Oklahomans, issuing qualified migrants “Driving Privilege Cards” and pilot programs to issue more work permits and visas to non-citizens.

After the recommendations were released in September, a spokesperson for Stitt said onsocial mediathat the governor would not implement the recommendations.

Nicole Maldonado, vice president of Oklahoma’s chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, said state officials seem to be focused on passing the “most extreme and crazy” policy ideas instead of “reasonable” solutions to reduce the taxpayer burden. LULAC advocates for the rights of Hispanic Americans.

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“I think that this is just another tactic for them to be part of the show and not actually to create reasonable solutions to the issue,” she said. “I think that it’s just more to be like, ‘Hey, look at us. We’re trying to do this.’ This is to receive Trump’s attention. But I don’t think that there’s going to be a meaningful solution or policy that is going to come out of this.”

Maldonado said Humphrey’s idea seems to do the opposite of what Stitt wants to do by bringing more undocumented immigrants into Oklahoma’s correctional facilities.

'This will only cause communities to live in constant fear'

In 2022, over 89,000 undocumented immigrants in Oklahomacontributedabout $227.5 million in state and local taxes, according to a report by a nonprofit, nonpartisan tax policy organization.

This amount does not include what undocumented immigrants paid into Social Security and Medicare despite not being able to access these benefits themselves.

Cindy Nguyen, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, said policies like Humphrey’s create fear in immigrant communities and are not realistic solutions for the state.

“(This) will only cause communities to live in constant fear as we saw with a lot of the anti-immigration bills that were introduced last legislative session,” Nguyen said. “We know that many victims of violence are now going to be even more afraid to speak out and report this crime because they are afraid of the consequences of that. And now … they’re even more afraid to report it, because they see that they might get a life sentence if they’re undocumented.”

She said that Oklahoma’s prisons and jails are already overcrowded and this will create even more of a burden on taxpayers.

“It is not a great solution to address immigration or address the fear of our undocumented communities in Oklahoma, who are also taxpayers, who go to our schools, who are our neighbors, who contribute to making the state even greater and more diverse,” Nguyen said.

The last attempt to pass immigration policy by Oklahoma’s GOP is currently inlegal limbo.

House Bill 4156, signed by Stitt in April, creates a crime called “impermissible occupation” for willfully entering the state without legal authorization to be in the United States.

A first offense would be a misdemeanor punishable by one year in county jail, a fine of up to $500 or both. The person would be required to leave the state within 72 hours.

A second offense would be a felony with up to two years in prison, a fine of $1,000 or both.

Multiple parties, including the ACLU and the federal government, havesuedto prevent HB 4156 from taking effect.

Implementation was put on hold by a federal judge, pending legal challenges. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond hasappealed.

Oklahoma Voiceis part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions:info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice onFacebookandTwitter.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Legislature will likely take up immigration in 2025 session