OKPOLICY.ORG
Welcome to the first immigration newsletter of 2026!
Oklahoma’s legislative session started this Monday, but immigration-related bills are already moving through committee. Since it is an election year, we can expect legislators to be particularly eager to push through anti-immigrant legislation, so stay tuned to our weekly newsletters where we recap the latest developments on this session’s slate of immigration related bills.
As always, for more details on the bills discussed, visit OK Policy’s Immigration Bill Tracker.
State Developments
House
Session started February 2, and bills will have until February 19 to move out of their Policy/Subcommittees.
Upcoming Bills Next Week
- HB 3551 by Cody Maynard – scheduled to be heard in its Appropriations and Budget Education policy committee on Monday, February 9 at 10:30am in room 450.
- This bill would restrict in-state tuition and financial aid for non-U.S. citizens and mandate that the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education verify a student’s lawful presence in the U.S. through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program.
- You can watch the committee meeting online here.
- HB 4423 by Kyle Hilbert – scheduled to be heard in its Public Health policy committee on Wednesday, February 11 at 9am in room 206.
- This bill would require the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to use SAVE to check the immigration status of its applicants, including the status of adults applying on behalf of children. If an applicant’s status can’t be confirmed, OHCA must notify ICE.
- You can watch the committee meeting online here.
Bills Heard This Week
- HB 3725 by Jim Shaw – was heard its Business policy committee this Tuesday but it failed to get a motion, meaning it failed to pass out of committee
- The bill would have mandated all Oklahoma employers to use E-Verify to check the work authorization of their employees
- You can watch the committee meeting here.
- HB 4422 by Kyle Hilbert – passed its Children, Youth and Family Services policy committee on Wednesday 7-1.
- The bill mandates the use of SAVE to verify the eligibility and legal status of applicants for TANF and SNAP. If an applicant’s status can’t be confirmed, the Attorney General will notify ICE.
- The bill was originally more harmful and included provisions to check applicants for WIC as well as applicants applying for child-only benefits, but a committee substitute removed that language.
- You can watch the committee meeting here.
Senate
Bills in the Senate have until March 5 to pass out of committee.
- No immigration-related bills were heard in the Senate this week.
Next steps
In the next two weeks, bills will be heard in committee in both the House and Senate. These committees often consist of only a handful of legislators, and for a bill to be heard, the committee chair has to agree to hear the bill. This means that the number of people to convince to support or oppose a bill is much smaller.
Ways to get involved
Read through OK Policy’s Immigration Bill Tracker to familiarize yourself with this year’s immigration related bills. While most stand to hurt communities with immigrants if they are passed, there are a couple that would help immigrant communities.
It is also important to know who your legislators are so you can reach out to them in regards to these bills. Don’t know who your legislator is? Find them here.
Other Notable News
The news stories included in this section may be distressing to readers. While it is important to stay informed on the changes to immigration policy that affects our friends, family, and neighbors, it is also important to take care of yourself. We advise being intentional about engaging with news media and taking breaks as needed. Now more than ever it is important to practice resilience and stay rooted in community.
State level
- Oklahoma bill would require DHS to verify SNAP immigration status and notify ICE via SAVE [Fox 25]
- Oklahoma tribal leaders say ICE racially profiling members [OU Daily]
- OKC residents celebrate victory over proposed ICE facility [KOCO]
- Oklahoma City’s archbishop condemns violent immigration enforcement tactics, calls for Holy Hour of Peace [KOSU]
- Immigration attorneys feel strain as detentions rise in Oklahoma [KOSU]
- Operation Guardian sparks fear and controversy in Oklahoma communities [Fox 25]
Federal level
- Immigrants’ Recent Effects on Government Budgets: 1994–2023 [Cato Institute]
- Trump’s $45 billion expansion of immigrant detention sites faces pushback from communities [NBC News]
- US Spends Hundreds of Millions on Warehouses for ICE Detention Centers [Bloomberg]
- How DHS Spent $35 Billion Since Trump Retook Office [The Wall Street Journal]
- Potential Impact of the Federal Pause on Immigrant Visas From 75 Countries on the U.S. Health Care Workforce [KFF]
- Rural care could see impact from tighter visa rules [Axios]
- Elder care industry braces for loss of many Haitian immigrant workers [CNN Business]
- Federal judge postpones Trump administration’s termination of TPS for Haitians [NBC News]
- Trump Immigration Judges Pushed to Deny Asylum in Swift Training [Bloomberg Law]
- Trump administration pulling 700 immigration agents from Minnesota [Axios Twin Cities]
- Native Americans fear ICE and try to prove they belong in the US [AP]
- Children in ICE Detention Skyrocket in Trump’s Second Term [The Marshall Project]
- Immigrant families speak out about conditions in detention, sick kids [USA Today]
- How a digital dragnet is powering Trump’s immigration crackdown [AP]
- Lawsuit challenges ICE ability to enter homes without warrants from US judges [Reuters]
- Economic Forecast Slower Due To Lower Immigration, New Data Confirms [Forbes]
