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Welcome to this week’s immigration-focused newsletter, where we recap the latest developments on this legislative session’s slate of immigration related bills.
Earlier this month, the Legislature passed a budget and word is that they are planning to gavel out of session by May 7, which would be three weeks earlier than planned. This means that the timeline of bills we are watching could be faster than expected, so as always, keep an eye on OK Policy’s Immigration Bill Tracker to stay up to date with the latest developments.
State Developments
House
Bills that have passed out of committee have until May 7 to pass off the floor.
- SB 1633 by Brenda Stanley – Passed Education Oversight committee 7-2.
- 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 Senate committee meeting here and the floor hearing here.
- You can watch the House policy committee here and oversight committee meeting here.
Senate
HB 4422 and HB 4423 have until April 23 to pass out of their Senate committee to be eligible to be heard on the Senate floor. They have not been scheduled for committee as of Friday morning, but be sure to check the Senate Meeting Notices to stay up to date as agendas are frequently uploaded and modified.
- HB 4422 by Kyle Hilbert – Assigned to Health and Human Services Senate committee.
- 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 and oversight committees here. You can watch the floor debate here.
- Assigned to Health and Human Services.
- HB 4423 by Kyle Hilbert – Assigned to Health and Human Services Senate committee.
- 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 policy and oversight committee meeting here. You can watch the floor debate here.
- Assigned to Health and Human Services.
Next Steps
Bills in both chambers have to pass out of their remaining committees by next Thursday, April 23, in order to remain alive and be heard on the floor. Bills that have passed out of committee have until May 7 to be heard on the floor.
Ways to get involved
Reach out to legislators to let them know how you want them to vote on these anti-immigrant bills!
Below are some potential speaking points to help you during your conversation with legislators.
- For HB 4422 and HB 4423, click here to see the Health and Human Services committee members.
- The SAVE database is unfit to verify citizenship or immigration status and its errors have even resulted in U.S. citizens being labeled as “potential noncitizens.”
- This will create a chilling effect that will discourage eligible Oklahomans from applying for benefits and it will primarily harm children and families.
- SB 1633 is headed to the House floor, click here to find your Representative..
- Forcing Oklahoma students to pay out-of-state tuition would more than double the cost of attending college and effectively prevent hundreds of perfectly qualified students from attending.
- Oklahoma has the fifth-lowest share of degree holders in the country; it is against the state’s best interest to make it harder for our students to get a higher education.
Don’t know who your legislator is? 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 governor lays out immigration vision [KOSU]
- Restrictions on in-state tuition and welfare benefits among Oklahoma immigration bills moving forward [The Frontier]
- ICE detainees on bus hospitalized after heat-related illnesses [KOCO]
- Oklahoma exhibit helps residents understand refugee journey [The Oklahoman]
Federal
- How DHS Outsources Immigration Crackdown to Local Police [The Marshall Project]
- How the Trump Administration Diverted Resources to Support Mass Deportations [NOTUS]
- States change custody laws to keep children of detained immigrants out of foster care [19th News]
- How a $75 billion windfall from Congress has insulated ICE [NPR]
- DHS watchdog paused some probes of immigration enforcement amid shutdown [NBC News]
- Mexican migrant is 47th person to die in ICE custody during current administration [ABC News]
- As immigrant deaths in custody grow, ICE reduces what details are made public [NBC News]
- Four men deported by US to Eswatini have right to see lawyer, court rules [The Guardian]
- Minnesota authorities investigate ICE arrest of Hmong American man as possible kidnapping [AP News]
- US has let in 4,499 refugees since October – all but three were South African [BBC]
- 2025 shows drop in people being approved to become U.S. citizens [NPR]
- House passes a bill to extends protections for Haitian immigrants in US [AP News]
- A new immigration strategy shakes agro-industrial rural towns [Investigate Midwest]
- After a month in detention, a Venezuelan family self deports [The Texas Tribune]
