OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma becomes the latest state to give police authority to arrest illegal immigrants after Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed a bill on Tuesday that makes illegal immigration a state crime punishable by fine and imprisonment.
The legislation, HB 4516, is set to go into effect on July 1. The measure was passed 39-8 in the Senate and 77-20 in the House. It authorizes Oklahoma law enforcement officers to arrest individuals for illegally entering the country, reported the Daily Wire.
If convicted under the new law, the illegal immigrant would be guilty of “impermissible occupation” and could be punished with up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. The person would also be required to leave the state within 72 hours “following his or her conviction or release from custody, whichever comes later.”
If a defendant is taken into custody for a second offense, the charge is upgraded to a felony. Under these circumstances, the illegal immigrant could be incarcerated for two years and fined up to $1,000. This classification of defendant would also be required to leave the state within 72 hours of being convicted or completing a prison sentence.
“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,” Gov. Stitt said. “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.”
One element of the bill describes a problem that is increasingly encountered by police in Oklahoma.
“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 (R) endorsed the new law and said it will aid law enforcement efforts.
“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, according to Just the News.
The Sooner State is following the path of other Republican-led states like Iowa and Texas where similar laws have been passed. However, court challenges are being waged as liberal progressives have fought the sensible measures.
For instance, the Texas law is currently on hold while a federal appeals court considers a challenge to it.
