OKPOLICY.ORG
Welcome to this week’s immigration-focused newsletter, where we recap the latest developments on this legislative 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
Bills yet to be heard
- HB 3551 by Cody Maynard – passed its Appropriations and Budget oversight committee 24-6 .
- 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 policy committee meeting here and the oversight committee meeting here .
- This bill is now eligible to be heard on the House Floor. Keep an eye on the House Floor Agenda to see when it might be heard.
Bills that have crossed to the Senate
- HB 4422 by Kyle Hilbert – passed the House floor hearing 80-18 .
- 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 .
- You can watch the policy committee meeting here and the oversight committee meeting here . You can watch the floor debate here .
- Has not been assigned to a Senate Committee.
- HB 4423 by Kyle Hilbert – passed the House floor hearing 80-18 .
- The bill mandates the use of SAVE to verify the eligibility and legal status of applicants before receiving state health care benefits. If an applicant’s status can’t be confirmed, the Attorney General will notify ICE .
- You can watch the committee meeting here and the oversight committee meeting here . You can watch the floor debate here .
- Has not been assigned to a Senate Committee.
Senate
Bills yet to be heard
- SB 1470 by Michael Brooks – passed its Public Safety committee 8-0 .
- It would allow any Oklahoma elected official or religious leader to enter private correctional facilities to conduct informal inspections provided they prove their credentials and give three days advance notice of their intended visit.
- You can watch the committee meeting online here .
- SB 1582 by Brian Guthrie – passed its Judiciary committee 5-1 .
- This bill would restrict who can own land in Oklahoma to only U.S. citizens and immigrants with permission to reside in the country permanently. If a person loses their permanent status, they have one year to divest from their property.
- You can watch the committee meeting online here .
Bills that have crossed to the House
- SB 1633 by Brenda Stanley – passed the Senate floor on Tuesday 39-7 .
- The bill removes a provision that allowed students who graduated from Oklahoma high schools and resided in the state with their legal guardian to be eligible for in-state tuition, even if they couldn’t provide documentation of U.S. citizenship or immigration status.
- You can watch the committee meeting here .
- You can watch the floor hearing here .
Next Steps
March 26 is the deadline for House and Senate bills to pass off the floor and move onto the opposite chamber. Keep an eye on the House and Senate floor agendas to stay up to date with last minute agenda changes.
Ways to get involved
Senate Bill 1470 is headed to the Senate floor.
This bill would create much needed transparency into what is occurring in federal and private detention centers around Oklahoma. Our elected and religious leaders should be able to inspect the conditions of detention facilities in our state to ensure they are not holding people in poor and miserable conditions.
Recognizing that Oklahoma is a deeply conservative state, when talking about this bill it is important to remain focused on speaking points about state’s rights and clergy’s right to minister to their congregations.
WHY THIS MATTERS
- Religious leaders can serve as bridges between detainees and our communities, making sure detainees remain connected to their faith.
- State officials are our directly elected representatives; they need to ensure conditions in detention centers don’t go against the will of Oklahomans.
- Reduced federal oversight over detention centers leaves people being held in detention centers at risk of being subject to poor conditions and negative physical and mental health outcomes.
Please contact your Senator now and ask them to VOTE YES ON SB 1470 .
Don’t know who your legislators are? Find them here.
Other notable immigration 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
- Oklahoma Could Collect $175 Million Annually From Federal Immigration Enforcement Agreements [Oklahoma Watch]
- OK Senate leadership has questions on House immigration bills [KFOR]
- Oklahoma Senate passes bill limiting college access for some students, critics say [Oklahoma Voice]
- OK senator defends bill blocking tuition for undocumented immigrants (video) [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma immigration attorney criticizes ICE for worsening case backlog [KOCO]
- Is the ICE budget for converting warehouses to detention facilities more than Oklahoma’s total annual spending? [Oklahoma Watch]
Federal
- 911 calls reveal pain, despair at ICE’S largest detention camp [AP News]
- Afghans stranded for a year by Trump’s refugee freeze now caught in new war [PBS News ]
- The United States deported migrants to Iran and Venezuela despite plans for military interventions [EL PAÍS English]
- Legal refugees now face long detention after DHS reinterprets law on applying for a green card after a year [The Conversation]
- Judges keep ordering immigration hearings — but say the results are often a sham [POLITICO]
- When ICE came, Minneapolis created underground health networks. Should other cities? [NPR]
- Immigrant truck drivers are vital to the economy. ICE crackdown is forcing them off roads [The Guardian]
- Deaths in ICE custody already surpass last year’s total [NPR]
- How ICE Plans to Put 8,500 Immigrants in This Georgia Warehouse [The New York Times]
- The pediatrician moms standing up for children in immigration detention [19th News]
- Immigration detention cases decline amid Trump admin pullback from hardline tactics [POLITICO]
- Trump is using immigration policy to suppress speech, lawsuit claims [KOSU]
