Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill that would give police new authority to arrest illegal immigrants.
The law would make illegal immigration a state crime punishable by fines and imprisonment.
The new legislation permits Oklahoma law enforcement to arrest people for entering the U.S. illegally, and if convicted, the illegal immigrant would be guilty of “impermissible occupation,” facing one year in jail and a $500 fine.
Any person caught illegally entering the U.S. would be required to leave the state within 72 hours “following his or her conviction or release from custody, whichever comes later.”
A second offense would allow the illegal immigrant to be held for two years behind bars and fined up to $1,000.
Stitt said:
“I am disappointed this bill is necessary. Since President Biden took office in 2021, more than 10 million people have poured over the southern border.”
“Countless individuals from across the globe, including thousands of Chinese nationals as well as people affiliated with terror organizations, have illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.”
The HB 4516, is set to go into effect on July 1.
The measure passed 39-8 in the Senate and 77-20 in the House.
The Daily Wire reported:
Similar laws have been passed in other Republican-led states like Iowa and Texas but have faced court challenges. Texas’s law is currently on hold while a federal appeals court considers a challenge to it.
The text of the bill said that it was necessary in part due to the influx of Chinese-backed marijuana farms that have cropped up across the state.
“Throughout the state, law enforcement comes into daily and increasingly frequent contact with foreign nationals who entered the country illegally or who remain here illegally,” the bill says.
“This is particularly common in regard to illegal marijuana grow operations, which have exploded in number in recent years.”
State Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the measure would help aid law enforcement.
“Oklahoma has reaped the consequences of the Biden Administration’s utter failure to secure our nation’s border, as evidenced by the flood of illegal marijuana grows and other criminal activity connected to Chinese syndicates and Mexican cartels,” he said.
In a statement, Stitt said he would create a work permit and visa task force “to find ways to bolster our workforce” to help “those who are here contributing to our communities and economy.”
The governor stated that the task force will make recommendations to the governor and state legislature about making it easy for immigrants to work in Oklahoma.
