Oklahoma is a step closer to criminalizing people in the state without legal immigration status. Democrats questioned the bill’s legal and moral merits, as well as the consequences of its passage, intentional or not, during a tense House floor discussion Thursday morning.
House and Senate leadership unveiled details on a proposal punishing people for entering and remaining in the state without legal permission Thursday, and they want to create a new crime to try and combat illegal immigration.
The 2-1 decision came late Tuesday from a three-judge panel at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. It keeps the state of Texas from enforcing the law, known as SB 4, as the legal challenge against it continues in federal court.
House Speaker Charles McCall vows to secure Oklahoma’s borders via a measure similar to one passed by Texas lawmakers last year that allows local police to arrest people they suspect entered the country illegally and deport those who have.
A Texas law that allows local and state police officers to arrest people suspected of being in the country illegally is now in effect after a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Immigrant rights groups and the Biden administration have argued the law is unconstitutional and will unfairly target Texans of color.