Melissa Jacques
Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — A Texas-style immigration bill passed through the House on Thursday without any of the amendments put forward by House Democrats.
The measure passed by a vote of 77-20.
House Bill 4156, which was authored by Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka, and Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, does not have to follow the normal legislative process. It may now be scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor.
In a press release immediately after the vote, McCall thanked his colleagues for passing the bill and said, “Those who want to work through the process of coming to our country legally are more than welcome to come to Oklahoma; we would love to have them here. Those who jump the line and skip the process cheapen the value of the work put in by those who went through the full legal process to become a citizen of our great country.”
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Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, presented the bill in the House on Thursday. The House debated the bill for almost two hours, with Echols responding to questions from House Democrats.
“Anyone saying that there is not an illegal immigration crisis in our state and nation is simply ignoring reality,” Echols said in a statement after the vote. “This is a common sense piece of legislation that allows Oklahoma to protect our citizens and our state borders while also preemptively signaling to those in our country illegally that they should choose another state to migrate to.”
The bill would legally define “impermissible occupation” as when a person “willfully and without permission enters and remains in the State of Oklahoma without having first obtained legal authorization to enter the United States.”
Impermissible occupation would be a misdemeanor upon first offense, punishable by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment in a county jail for up to a year, or both. The person would also be required to leave Oklahoma within 72 hours of the date and time specified on a written order. After that the person would be prohibited from reentering the state.
The second offense would be a felony, punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for up to two years, a fine of up $1,000 or both. The second offense also would require the person to leave the state within 72 hours.
The passage of the bill was celebrated by Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who said in a press release: “The Oklahoma House of Representatives has taken a strong stand today in favor of public safety. President Biden’s blatant refusal to follow federal law and his complete failure to secure the border are forcing states to take action. I am grateful to Speaker McCall and President Pro Tempore Treat for authoring HB 4156, and I look forward to the measure becoming law.”
Rep. Arturo Alonso Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, presented one of the two rejected amendments to the bill that was tabled almost immediately.
“There are current undocumented Oklahomans that this bill completely ignores,” Alonso Sandoval said in a press release. “These are people who have been here for decades and contributed millions in tax dollars. The passage of this bill ignores that undocumented Oklahomans pay over $26 million in taxes and provides no way to amend that gap in tax dollars.”
“No one is rejecting the idea that there are challenges at our southern border, but there are better solutions to address immigration,” Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman, said in a statement. “This bill could have done something good. Rep. Alonso Sandoval and I both offered amendments to make this bill good policy. The author chose to miss the opportunity and keep it the way it is — grimly absurd.”
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